North Carolina Councils of Governments

The North Carolina Councils of Government (or the Regional Councils of Government) are voluntary associations of county and municipal governments, established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1972 that serve as an avenue for local governments across North Carolina to discuss issues that are particular to their region. In banding together at the regional level, the voice of one community becomes the voice of many, thus providing a better opportunity for those issues to be addressed. Today the majority of citizens and local governments in North Carolina are represented by regional councils, making them an increasingly important facet of local government operations. The following entry provides a glimpse into these organizations, showing how they have evolved with respect to the services they provide and how they are funded. Lastly, a summary of the enabling statutes that allow these councils to function in North Carolina has been provided.

Regional councils benefit leaders in the community both elected and not, as well as the citizenry, in the way that these councils foster regional economic competitiveness. Regional councils work to address the many issues that communities are facing today, often these issues are those that are critical to a community's overall well being including transportation, air quality and water quality.

Addressing regional issues such as the aforementioned, can be a difficult task. For this reason collaboration among the public, civic, nonprofit and private sectors in various types of regional organizations has remained extremely appealing for those communities wishing to remain competitive at the regional level.

Typically a region can contain several different kinds of regional organizations. One of which is the regional council of government. A regional council of government is a broad based, voluntary public organization that aids local member governments through a variety of services, through its role as a regional forum, and through a comprehensive work program. Many early regional councils evolved from the private, nonprofit regional planning organizations of the 1920s, and even more were formed in the years following World War II.

Federal legislation passed in the mid-1960s and early 1970s laid the groundwork for the formation of most regional councils. This legislation was inclusive of federal programs for comprehensive planning as well as intergovernmental cooperation. By 1977 it was estimated that the Federal government was providing approximately 75% of regional council budgets. This figure however, dropped dramatically by 1988 as federal funding was cut sharply, and it is estimated to have accounted for only 45% of regional council budgets at this time.

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