Marshall Miles Interviews Rick Lynn, Executive Director, Northwest Council of Governments: Foundation for Community Health Interview Series

Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG)

Northwest Connecticut’s Regional Planning Organization

The NHCOG is a coordinating body for chief elected officials maintained by twenty-one municipalities in northwest Connecticut. The twenty-one members are Barkhamsted, Burlington, Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Washington, and Winchester.

Mission

NHCOG’s mission is to make Northwest Connecticut a better place to live, do business, and visit by providing a forum for local officials to discuss issues of intermunicipal concern, promote regional cooperation, and direct various regional initiatives to enhance government planning, efficiency and service delivery.

NHCOG began its work January 1, 2014. It is a consolidation of two former regional planning organizations- the Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Officials and the Northwestern Connecticut Council of Governments.  The COG prepares a regional transportation plan, a regional growth plan and is also involved in planning for housing, economic development, emergency management and natural hazard mitigation.