The Partnership for the Public Good (PPG) unites 212organizations working to build a better western New York. Each year, the partners vote on their top policy priorities for the coming year; these priorities become the PPG Community Agenda. The very first Community Agenda, formed in 2008, included a provision calling for a planning board in Erie County. Since that time, the reasons for a planning board have only become more compelling. There is a reason that every other large county in New York has a planning board, and that the municipalities within Erie County themselves rely on planning boards. A planning board is a proven tool that can help the County: Gain expertise from a diverse array of experts and stakeholders; Make the planning process more democratic and accessible; Provide more certainty and clarity to businesses and developers; Support strategic, efficient development patterns that make the best use of existing resources while expanding economic opportunity; Align resources around completed strategic plans such as the Framework for Regional Growth, One Region Forward, the Farmland Protection Plan, and the blueprint of the WNY Regional Economic Development Council; Better compete for state and federal funding streams.