Officials consider regional council of governments

By Dan MacArthur
North Forty News

There is no apparent rush to resurrect a regional council of governments after the last one withered away nearly two decades ago due to neglect by officials who regarded it an unnecessary additional layer of government.

No firm commitment to proceed with creation of a new COG resulted from the March 30 meeting in Windsor attended by almost 100--predominantly elected officials representing Larimer, Weld and Laramie, Wyo., counties and municipalities.

Weld County Commissioner Glenn Vaad organized the panel discussion. He said it is time to start a conversation about COGs because effects of rapidly increasing population recognize no borders.

"We're having this discussion because we're acting as a region already," he said.

COGs are increasingly important in dealing with transportation, environmental and economic development issues that extend beyond jurisdictional lines, said Bob Sokoloski, executive director of the National Association of Regional Councils. He said COGs also are useful in leveraging increasingly scarce federal funds, providing economies of scale and offering technical assistance.

Sokoloski characterized COGs as a "forum for leadership." He stressed that they have no authority of their own and are not another level of government.

COGs, Sokoloski said, have an unlimited scope and can be tailored to meet the needs of their members. "A regional authority takes its priorities, personality and character from the members it serves," he said. "There's no cookie-cutter approach."

"It can be anything you want it to be," concurred Gary Severson, executive director of the Silverthorne-based Northwest Colorado Council of Governments. It is one of 11 COGs in Colorado and some 550 nationwide.

Formed in 1972, the NWCOG has 27 members and encompasses Eagle, Grand, Jackson, Pitkin and Summit counties. It performs a range of activities for those far-flung headwaters counties, ranging from elevator inspection to employee training. It also coordinates a number of initiatives addressing regional issues such as an Interstate 70 Coalition, a water quality and quantity committee, a revolving loan fund and its own foundation to provide members access to private grants.

Membership in the nonprofit NWCOG is voluntary. It is governed by a nine-member executive committee. The organization is supported by dues of nearly $209,000 this year, with the amount based on the member's population and assessed valuation.

Although the NWCOG allows for a weighted voting system, Severson said it has not been used in recent memory. Instead, he said, decisions are based on consensus, regardless the member's size. "It's important that everyone around the table has an equal voice," he said.

"I think the Northwest COG is really a good model for us," said Larimer County Commissioner Kathay Rennels. She said the idea of sharing expenses and working cooperatively to achieve more regional clout were appealing.

But Rennels said the real question is whether governments could work together regionally without the formality of creating a COG. She said considerable conversation would be required before any consensus can arise. "Everybody has to come along on it at their own pace," she said.

Commissioner Karen Wagner was similarly cautious. "There's a huge number of unknowns about what COG in this area might look like," she said. "It's a question of what the people want."