Councils of governments in Connecticut
regional planning organization in Connecticut
In Connecticut, councils of governments, also known as COGs, are regional planning organizations that bring together the chief elected officials or professional managers from member municipalities in Connecticut. Since 2015 and 2022, the Connecticut planning regions served by COGs have been recognized as county equivalents under state and federal law respectively, superseding the eight legacy counties in the state for most federal funding and statistical purposes.
The COGs are meant to aid coordination among neighboring cities and towns, and between the towns and the state government, on issues including land use, zoning, and transportation. They serve some functions analogous to county governments in other states, but have no independent taxing authority (Connecticut disbanded county governments in 1960). Councils of government also host some intermunicipal services based on the needs and voluntary participation of member or client municipalities. Councils, or COGs, receive funding through membership dues, state grants, and federal grants.
As of 2018, Connecticut has 9 regional councils following a series of mergers and realignments between 2013 and 2015. Populations are from the 2010 census. For current membership, see List of municipalities in Connecticut. Some COGs also serve as either federal metropolitan planning organizations (MPO), rural planning organizations (RPO), or share staff with one or more MPOs/RPOs within their borders; the Western Connecticut COG, for example, supports both the Housatonic Valley MPO and the South Western CT MPO.
History
The dissolution of county governments in 1960 created an absence of a regionally-oriented governmental level, which created problems for land use and infrastructure planning.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Councils of governments in Connecticut” is regional planning organization in Connecticut. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Councils, governments and Connecticut, not as a finished interpretation.
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Chronology, provenance and viewpoint should be read together before a broad social or political interpretation is accepted. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q124655903. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2015, 2022, 1960 and 2018.
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