For more than 20 years, the Washington County Council of Governments assisted towns with community and economic development, comprehensive planning, and grant writing. In 2019, Executive Director, Judy East, accepted a position with Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry.  The Executive Committee hired a new Executive Director, who unfortunately was unable to fulfill the requirements of the Executive Director position. As a result, WCCOG became unable to serve the needs of communities across Washington County.

COVID then reared its ugly head and curtailed any activities for over a year. As a result of inactivity, contracts for services through the State of Maine were assigned to other agencies, including Sunrise County Economic Council (SCEC), or were re-directed to entities outside of Washington County. SCEC has taken on planning activities for many towns and WCCOG is fortunate that some activities have been continued. 

A small group has been meeting this past year to continue the existence of WCCOG and to revitalize the organization.  

Most state-funded technical assistance is only awarded to state-recognized Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs); WCCOG (Washington County’s RPO) is working with SCEC to ensure Washington County communities can continue to benefit. 

To continue this effort, the cooperation and assistance of our communities is necessary. The proposal on the table assumes an initial dues structure at 75% of the former assessment. These dues pay for the costs necessary to maintain the WCCOG as an organization and cover the WCCOG’s cost of contracting with SCEC. 

The members of the Executive Committee present at the meeting agreed that this would be the best course of action for WCCOG and for Washington County. This is an unprecedented time of grant funding and community planning; Washington County cannot afford to be left behind for lack of a Council of Governments.

WCCOG Committee Members