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| High Country Council of Governments | |
|---|---|
| Name | High Country Council of Governments |
| Formation | 1970s |
| Type | Regional planning agency |
| Headquarters | Boone, North Carolina |
| Region served | Avery County, Ashe County, Watauga County, Wilkes County, Caldwell County (partial) |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
High Country Council of Governments The High Country Council of Governments (HCCOG) is a regional planning and service organization serving counties in northwestern North Carolina. It operates as a voluntary association of local governments including county commissions, municipal governments and special districts to coordinate transportation, environmental, aging, and workforce programs across a multi-county Appalachian Mountains region. HCCOG collaborates with federal agencies such as the United States Department of Transportation, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Health and Human Services as well as state entities including the North Carolina Department of Transportation, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
HCCOG is a membership-driven intergovernmental organization modeled on councils of governments like the Metropolitan Council (Minnesota), Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, and Piedmont Triad Council of Governments, providing services similar to rural counterparts such as the High Country Rural Planning Organization and regional bodies like the Western Piedmont Council of Governments. Its scope includes transportation planning, aging services administered under the Older Americans Act, workforce development tied to Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs, and environmental assistance connected to Clean Water Act implementation and Safe Drinking Water Act compliance. HCCOG often partners with universities such as Appalachian State University and Western Carolina University for research and technical assistance.
The council emerged during the expansion of regional councils in the 1960s and 1970s alongside organizations like the Economic Development Administration and Area Agencies on Aging networks. HCCOG formed amid state-level initiatives influenced by the North Carolina General Assembly and federal planning guidelines from the Department of Transportation during the era of the Interstate Highway System. Over time the organization adapted to legislative frameworks including the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006 and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, broadening programs to include transit services comparable to those administered by the Triangle Transit Authority and human services similar to those delivered by the Centralina Council of Governments.
HCCOG serves counties and municipalities in the northwestern High Country (North Carolina), historically overlapping with the Watauga River watershed and corridors connecting to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Member jurisdictions include county boards such as those from Avery County, North Carolina, Watauga County, North Carolina, Ashe County, North Carolina, and adjacent local governments including the town councils of Boone, North Carolina, Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Newland, North Carolina, and West Jefferson, North Carolina. The service area intersects with watersheds linked to the New River (North Carolina), transportation corridors like U.S. Route 321, and economic regions identified by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
The council is governed by a board of directors composed of elected officials from member counties and municipalities, paralleling governance models used by bodies such as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) structure and regional boards like the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization. The executive staff, led by an executive director, coordinates planning staff, fiscal officers, and program managers who interact with state grantors including the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management and federal grantors such as the Administration for Community Living. Committees mirror those in other councils, including a transportation advisory committee akin to the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) common in MPOs, an aging services advisory council similar to those under the Administration on Aging, and economic development committees comparable to the Appalachian Regional Commission stakeholder groups.
Key programs include regional transportation planning and rural transit services comparable to the Rural Transportation Planning Organization model, Area Agency on Aging services providing home-delivered meals and caregiver support under the Older Americans Act, workforce development connecting clients to community college partners and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act providers, and environmental planning that assists compliance with the Clean Water Act and National Environmental Policy Act when projects require environmental review. HCCOG offers grant writing and administration services similar to those provided by the Mid-America Regional Council and technical assistance for local infrastructure projects drawing on expertise from institutions like the Rural Utilities Service.
Funding streams mirror those used by councils of governments nationwide: federal grants from agencies including the Federal Transit Administration, Community Development Block Grant allocations administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, state grants from the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and local dues from member governments. HCCOG develops annual budgets that reconcile pass-through funds for service providers, match requirements tied to grants like those under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, and administrative costs similar to budget structures used by the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation. Audits follow standards of the Government Accountability Office and take guidance from the Single Audit Act framework.
HCCOG leads multi-jurisdictional projects such as rural transit route planning, destination-focused transportation improvements near the Blue Ridge Parkway and New River State Park, and watershed protection initiatives echoing projects supported by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and US Fish and Wildlife Service. It participates in corridor studies related to Interstate 26 and regional freight planning that align with state freight initiatives under the North Carolina Freight Plan. Through partnerships with the Appalachian Regional Commission, Economic Development Administration, and academic centers at Appalachian State University, the council implements community resilience projects, downtown revitalization strategies similar to those funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and broadband expansion efforts echoing programs by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Category:Regional councils of governments in North Carolina