Union County is not only growing faster than officials initially thought, it’s growing even faster than that.
William Murdock, the executive director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) told the county commissioners that projections show the numbers seem even higher than the last time they met.
“Right now, our projection is to grow from 2.4 million to 3.1 million. This is a little faster than our last projection because of all the investments that have happened, certainly Honda up here, Intel, LG,” he said. “But it’s not dissimilar than what we’ve had before.”
When Murdock visited the commissioners in December, he said the region would grow by 600,000 people over the next few decades. This time, he said that number could even be more like 700,000 more people.
For Union County, that December number brought the population up to 75,000. This time, he said by 2050, that number could be more like 96,000. He said there is still some variability but that is based on the current trends.
Last year, Murdock said, Union County continued an “unusual” trend from the previous year, which was having more births than deaths. In 2021, births were listed at 706 in the county whereas last year they went up to 717. That is one in a series of changes that contribute to growth, he said.
“We have a lot of work to do to keep the quality of life the same,” said Murdock. “If we do it right, we can add those folks in and keep that quality of life.”
One project he highlighted was the proposed passenger rail system across the state.
“Since the last time we gave you an update, there’s been some movement there. Gov. (Mike) DeWine instructed his team to support some applications for a federal green light to move these routes forward,” he said. “The State of Ohio applied for Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati. That doesn’t go through Union County, but the other route, Pittsburg, Columbus, Chicago, does.”
He said Marysville has also been part of the discussions for the second route and that MORPC would push for that if more progress were made on the projects.
Additionally, he said more members of the business community including Columbus organizations and several chambers of commerce around the state have voiced support for getting this project moving. Murdock said he expects more information in November.
One new program MORPC introduced could be a benefit to the county, Murdock said, called Community-Based Planning Assistance. MORPC has always provided technical assistance and internship opportunities to small communities, something that Union County has taken advantage of, he added.
“We added something called the Planner Pool and Consultant Services Program,” he said, adding that local governments have been asking for it for a while. “If they have somebody retire and they need somebody to work right away like a temporary employee or they get a big influx of planning permits or infrastructure plans to review and they just need help, we now have a pool of employees that we can loan to local governments as they need it.”
He said to think of it as a temp service for those who need it.
County Administrator Bill Narducci asked if MORPC is looking at specific disciplines to fill positions.
“As the program evolves, you’re going to get feedback like, ‘hey we need this or that,” he said. “To kick it off, are there any specific disciplines you’re looking at?”
Murdock said they are starting with positions in planning, zoning, building and permitting, as those areas have been the primary requests so far. He said there has also been requests for IT support.
“That’s where we’re starting. I know there’s probably a need when it comes to engineering work and some other places,” he said. “Basically, we’re telling communities to reach out if they have a need and if it’s not something we can fill right now, it’s still good to know.”
Narducci said workforce challenges are something the county is juggling so officials will be keeping an eye on the program.