One
of the most valuable services the COG provides
is a "connection point" for members wanting
to interact with similar local jurisdictions.
This forum is an essential pipeline for information
and resources that can be directed to members.
As a network organization, COG links its members
with each other and also to a broader network
within the Oregon planning and economic development
community.
The COG's purposes include pooling local resources
to achieve efficiency and economy and to join
together to address issues of common concern.
Member services include economic
and community development, transportation
systems planning , SBA
loans, community infrastructure financing,
and GIS, mapping
and census services.
-
Voluntary
ownership of support staff by collective local
units of government creates powerful incentive
for consistent productivity and optimal efficiency
-
Continuous
staff support based on contractual relationships
primarily regulated by state law
-
Organizational
credibility supported by almost 40 years of
service delivery
-
Flexibility
in service delivery (broad array of both local
and regional services)
-
Collective
voice in global economy; enhanced economic
and political clout
-
Forum
for local interaction of elected officials
representing regional association of local
governments joined on the basis of economic,
social, and/or geographic considerations
-
Regional
collaboration on multi-jurisdictional ("boundary-spillover")
issues based on mutual interdependency produces
more realistic planning; purely local approaches
to such issues are ineffective
-
Economies
of scale; regional sharing of highly-trained
support staff by local units of government
unable to afford such expertise with local
resources; conservation of limited financial
resources by spreading costs
-
COG
support personnel are bonded and insured for
fiduciary responsibilities
-
Regional
harmony enhances access to state and federal
funding; competitive edge
-
Synergy
in regional problem-solving produces innovative
solutions that could never be developed in
isolation; "whole is greater than sum of parts"
