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RiverCOG adopts 2026 legislative agenda, backs housing fixes and transit funding; approves contracts and grant application
Summary
RiverCOG members approved a 2026 legislative agenda that emphasizes implementing the recent housing law, sewer and permitting fixes, regional waste solutions and transit support. The board also approved an MXI hazardous-waste contract, authorized an EPA Brownfields grant application and selected an on-call economic development vendor.
RiverCOG on Dec. (date not specified) adopted a 2026 legislative agenda focusing on implementing a recently passed housing law, improving permitting for community-scale septic and sewer alternatives, coordinating DOT projects with municipal plans, and seeking more flexible regional funding for housing and stormwater work.
The board voted to add a request for increased state funding for local youth service bureaus to the agenda after members said current grants have been stagnant. Members also discussed streamlining administrative appeals for planning and zoning, but several participants warned statutory and court-process limits could constrain fast fixes.
Staff noted the new housing law channels $400,000 to councils of governments — $200,000 for housing planning and $200,000 for stormwater/solid-waste work — and urged flexibility so funds can follow regional priorities. "I think the money should be more fluid and be able to conform with the needs of the region," said an agenda presenter (unidentified in the transcript).
On formal actions, the board took several votes: it approved asking OPM for an audit extension after auditors requested additional reports the staff could not produce before the deadline; it approved a contract with MXI for household hazardous-waste collection and disposal after a competitive RFP; it authorized staff to apply for an EPA Brownfields Assessment grant due Jan. 28 and to request DEEP technical support for the application; and it approved the selection of Unity Resource Management as the region's on-call economic-development services provider following an RFP and finalist review.
Transit officials reported growing ridership on both fixed-route and microtransit services. Staff said the Extra Mile microtransit pilot had produced roughly 50,000 rides since launch and that fixed-route ridership in the region is above pre-pandemic levels. Officials cautioned, however, that early state budget scenario planning could put some transit funding at risk and said they would consider outreach or letters opposing cuts if reductions appear likely.
Board members flagged several other state priorities in the adopted agenda, including increased support for early voting and a centralized grants portal; a task force to study regionalizing fire, EMS and related public-safety services; and enhanced coordination of waste-management planning to realize economies of scale.
What’s next: staff will circulate the final adopted legislative agenda and follow up on the approved actions: ask OPM for an audit extension, execute the MXI contract and move forward with the Brownfields application and Unity Resource Management onboarding. The meeting record shows voice votes for the actions; individual roll-call tallies were not included in the transcript.
