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Councils of Governments ask lawmakers for higher state support, cite $57:1 grant leverage
Summary
Britt Poole of the Central Midlands Council of Governments asked the subcommittee to increase state COG funding from $1.5 million and described COGs' roles in grant capture, aging and water-quality support, and planning services; a committee member questioned overlap with state agencies and whether COGs operate at a loss.
Britt Poole, executive director of the Central Midlands Council of Governments, asked a legislative subcommittee to consider boosting state funding for Councils of Governments (COGs), saying the organizations are a "force multiplier" for state and local work.
"The average ROI last fiscal year for the COGs was 57 to 1," Poole told the panel, adding that the vast majority of the leverage came from federal grants. He said COGs helped local governments win grants and deliver services including CDBG administration, water quality compliance reviews, brownfields work, and aging services such as in'home meal checks for seniors. Poole said the state provided $1,500,000 in the prior year and asked the committee to consider an increase to $2,000,000; the transcript also contained an unclear alternate phrasing ("1.5%"), which Poole did not clarify.
Committee member Mister Yao pressed Poole on two points: which COGs do not provide aging services and whether COGs are taking on work already funded and managed by the Department of Environmental Services (DES). Poole replied that some areas receive aging services through separate Area Agencies on Aging rather than through a COG, and that COGs coordinate local stakeholders and can shift permit fee structures so programs can approach breakeven rather than being a net loss. He said the additional state funds requested would be largely unrestricted seed money to hire planning and finance staff and to build grant-writing capacity; Poole said his agency helped secure nearly $40,000,000 in new grants this year.
Yao expressed concern about COGs performing functions that a state agency already funds and about asking for additional state support when some COG-run programs currently operate at a loss. Poole said local control and board seats for jurisdictions are a key benefit of COG administration and that expanded fee structures paid by developers could help offset operating losses.
The committee did not vote on the funding request during the meeting.
