WHAT IS NEOSO?

NEOSO stands for Northeast Ohio Sourcing Office. NEOSO launched in 2005 to help Members contain their operating costs and create additional staff capacity. In other words, NEOSO is a mechanism that improves the economic condition of member local governments. How do we do that? By creating leverage. See Mission and Purpose for a more detailed description of how we create leverage for our Members.

NEOSO is organized as a Council of Governments ("COG") and not for profit 501 (c)(3) organization. See Legal Structure for more information.

Why was neoso formed?

The cost of government in Northeast Ohio is extraordinarily expensive. Ohio ranks as the third highest state in the country when it comes to the percentage of income (11.3%) that its residents pay in state, country, and local taxes, according to the Tax Foundation, Washington D.C., April 7th, 2004. Furthermore, Cleveland suburbs are among the highest-taxed communities in the country — Cleveland/Shaker Heights tax rates are higher than those of New York City!

HIGH TAXES ARE SYMPTOMATIC OF A HIGH COST OF GOVERNMENT

In the 13 counties of Northeast Ohio, we have approximately 300 municipalities, over 100 school districts, dozens of special districts and, of course, 13 county governments. Combined, these local governments spend tens of billions of dollars each year, largely in isolation from one another.

There are many examples of governments working together on specific projects, but no one entity has ever had the responsibility to say, "By working together, we'll save ourselves a lot of money. Let's start working together systematically instead of sporadically." Now we can. See History and Pilot Project for more information.

What does NEOSO do?

NEOSO serves as an apolitical, neutral third party and has several critical roles. We:

• Identify opportunities to create leverage for our Members
• Serve as a trusted adviser to help Members improve their operations
• Facilitate and guide projects to completion
• Recruit additional Members to participate
• Research and qualify suppliers as part of each product and service offering

See Mission and Purpose for more information about our roles and activities.

how much does it cost to join neoso?

Currently, NEOSO does not charge membership fees. Instead, we have developed a pay-to-play model. When you, as one of our Members, decide to take advantage of a product or service offering, NEOSO generates revenue to cover the cost of our operations. It is our responsibility to put together offerings that are compelling and provide value to our members. See How to Join NEOSO for more information about membership.

who is eligible to join neoso?