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CAPCOG leaders tell Eaton County commissioners region has secured hundreds of millions for infrastructure; urge continued regional advocacy
Summary
Representatives of the Capital Council of Governments (CAPCOG) updated the Eaton County Board on a decade of regional coordination that they say has attracted state and federal infrastructure funding worth hundreds of millions to the tri‑county region and urged continued cooperation to compete for future appropriations.
EATON COUNTY — Representatives from the Capital Council of Governments briefed the Eaton County Board of Commissioners on April 16 about a decade of regional cooperation that organizers say has delivered substantial one‑time state and federal funding for infrastructure and community projects.
Steve Japinga of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and former Clayton County Commissioner Bob Showers described CAPCOG as a partnership of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties, Michigan State University and the Lansing Regional Chamber. Showers said CAPCOG was formed in 2016 to coordinate infrastructure priorities and to advocate jointly for appropriations.
"Our sole mission is to find appropriations from the state and federal legislatures for infrastructure projects for the counties," Showers told commissioners, adding that the group aims to distribute opportunities equitably across counties.
Japinga and Showers highlighted the region’s recent success in winning one‑time appropriations. Japinga said the organization has helped secure multiple projects totaling tens of millions of dollars for the Eaton County area and that, over a roughly 10‑year span, CAPCOG had helped attract more than $500 million in one‑time funding for the tri‑county region.
The presenters said funding priorities have included road and bridge reconstruction, rural water infrastructure, community revitalization and other local projects. They also described CAPCOG’s role during the COVID‑19 pandemic in disseminating information to municipalities and its more recent work packaging a capital region improvement support package for the 2025–2026 legislative cycle.
"It was our shot," Japinga said, referencing an unusual circumstance in which two appropriations chairs from the region held key positions in the state legislature, and the region coordinated requests to maximize funding outcomes.
Commissioners asked about the mix of state, federal and local funds in CAPCOG‑sponsored projects; presenters said most of the recent wins were state dollar appropriations, supplemented by federal funds in targeted programs.
Board members and the CAPCOG delegates discussed specific Eaton County projects that have received or been targeted for aid, including rural water proposals and road projects in communities such as Grand Ledge and Eaton Rapids. Commissioners thanked the delegation and said they valued the regional approach to securing funding that member counties might not secure individually.
Ending: CAPCOG officials encouraged commissioners to continue submitting prioritized infrastructure needs and to support the intergovernmental coordination that staff said has improved the tri‑county region’s success rate for one‑time appropriations at the state and federal level.
