Texas Association
of Regional Councils
of Regional Councils
Regional councils assist state and federal partners by coordinating and improving regional homeland security preparedness, planning and response activities across jurisdictional boundaries.
As Texas begins the process of recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, the regional councils will be partnering with state agencies and local governments to coordinate and administer programs to assist cities, counties and Texans impacted by this storm to rebuild their communities and lives.
Regions work cooperatively and collaboratively with the Office of the Governor’s Homeland Security Grants Division (OOG/HSGD) to obtain program and project funding for regional and local projects. COGs provide guidance to their local jurisdictions on funding applications as well as management and administration tasks for grant funding.
The Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) works with the regional councils to ensure that all regional and local emergency plans are up-to-date and compliant with Section 418 of the Texas Government Code. Regional councils also work with TDEM in the event of a disaster within their region to access state resources in a timely manner.
Regional councils utilize preparingtexas.org to register and track students attending training courses within their regions. Using this resource allows for accurate tracking of first-time and continuing education programs for emergency responders and the general public.
Regional councils of governments manage regional Citizen Corps Councils and Citizen Corps Programs. The programs encompass five different programs which allow community members from across the state to engage in public safety based volunteer activities. Each of these programs focuses on a differing aspect of public safety and often times members of these programs are affiliated with more than one. Read more
