The South East Texas Regional Planning Commission (SETRPC) is a voluntary association of local governments that serves an area composed of Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, and Orange Counties.
The Planning Commission was established in June 1970 under the authority provided by the Texas Legislature in 1965. SETRPC is one of 24 Regional Planning Councils that serve all of Texas. Regional Council boundaries conform to the State Planning Region System whereby 24 areas or regions are delineated according to socio-economic and physical characteristics that set one area apart from another.
Each of these Regional Councils were founded for the purpose of solving area wide problems by promoting intergovernmental cooperation and coordination, conducting comprehensive regional planning, and providing a forum for the discussion and study of area issues. Membership in SETRPC is open to all general and special purpose local governmental bodies in the three-county region: counties, cities, school districts and other special purpose districts such as water and sewer districts, municipal utility districts and port and drainage districts. The Planning Commission is governed by an Executive Committee composed of elected officials from the various city councils, county commissioner's courts, and special district boards that form its membership. These member governments pay yearly dues to the Planning Commission based on their population. These local tax dollars are supplemented by State and Federal Grants to form the Commission's Budget.