What Is a Council of Governments? A Council of Governments (COG), or Regional Council, is a public organization encompassing a multi-jurisdictional regional community. A COG serves the local governments and the citizens in the region by dealing with issues and needs that cross city, town, county and even state boundaries. Mechanisms used to address these issues may include communication, planning, policymaking, coordination, advocacy and technical assistance. Why are there COGs in the United States? In the late 1960s and early 1970s, emphasis was increasingly placed on the need for long-range planning and closer coordination of program activities by governments at all levels. Federal requirements for planning in areas such as transportation, the environment and human services furthered this need. The establishment of COGs emerged as the preferred approach to this need in many areas. What about COGs in Arizona? In Arizona, there are six COGs. Through an Executive Order, the planning boundaries were established by Governor Jack Williams in 1970 in response to federal planning requirements and in an effort to achieve uniformity in various planning areas. COGs, as voluntary associations, have formed within these planning boundaries. In the urban areas, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and the Pima Association of Governments are the regional agencies which also serve as the designated metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) for transportation planning. In the rural areas of Arizona, the COGs perform planning services and direct service functions such as operating the Area Agency on Aging, the Head Start programs and employment programs. Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Counties within boundary: Maricopa Number of local jurisdictions served: 31 Pima Association of Governments (PAG) Counties within boundary: Pima Number of local jurisdictions served: 7 South Eastern Arizona Governments Organization (SEAGO) Counties within boundary: Cochise, Graham, Greenlee and Santa Cruz Number of local jurisdictions served: 18 Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG) Counties within boundary: Apache, Coconino, Navajo and Yavapai Number of local jurisdictions served: 25 Central Arizona Association of Governments (CAAG) Counties within boundary: Pinal and Gila Number of local jurisdictions served: 16 Western Arizona Council of Governments (WACOG) Counties within boundary: La Paz, Mohave and Yuma Number of local jurisdictions served: 16