COG Board Elects Karen Lewis Young as its 2013 Chairwoman
Board Approves Map of Activity Centers Essential to Region’s Future Success The Board also approved an updated set of Activity Centers for metropolitan Washington, which will be used by COG and local governments to support land use planning, help guide investments in infrastructure and development, and analyze growth. The map includes 139 Centers, which are existing urban centers, traditional towns, transit hubs, and areas expecting future growth.
TPB Calls for Increased Transportation Funding, Outlines Revenue Options In December, the Transportation Planning Board unanimously approved a letter to the legislatures and chief executives of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia in support of increased funding for transportation. The letter includes options for raising transportation revenues that have been employed locally and in other states.
COG Honors Cathy Hudgins and OPM , Says Farewell to David Robertson
Officials Prepare for Economic Changes, Urge Congress to Stop Sequestration Leaders of the Council of Governments said Congressional action to prevent drastic tax increases on many Americans was an important step, even though it does not prevent the across-the-board federal budget cuts that are likely to hit this region especially hard. Noting fundamental economic changes are coming, they have also stressed the need for greater regional cooperation and promoted Economy Forward.
COG Strongly Supports FCC Decision on 9-1-1 Service
For more information on the following featured meetings/events, visit the COG Events Calendar. In addition to these events, the calendar lists all meetings of COG policy and technical committees as well as some meetings of other regional organizations. January 18: Chesapeake Bay and Water Resources Policy Committee For more than 50 years, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, known as COG, has helped develop solutions to issues of regional importance. COG is an independent, nonprofit association comprised of elected officials from 22 local governments, members of the Maryland and Virginia legislatures, and members of the U.S. Congress. The Metropolitan Memo is sent to COG’s membership of over 250 local, state and federal elected officials as well as regional stakeholders and citizens.
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At its January meeting, the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments elected as its Chairwoman Karen Lewis Young, who serves as President Pro Tem of the City of Frederick Board of Aldermen. Young is the first Frederick City or County official to lead the Council of Governments. She will focus on advancing COG’s new Economy Forward plan as well as transportation, energy, and environmental issues. COG also elected its 2013 Board Vice Chairmen—D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and City of Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille. 
At its Annual Luncheon in December, COG presented Fairfax County Supervisor Cathy Hudgins with the Elizabeth and David Scull Metropolitan Public Service Award for her work as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Her peers noted her many accomplishments at WMATA, such as making safety, maintenance, and governance the Board's top priorities. COG also honored the U.S. Office of Personnel Management with its Regional Partnership Award for its collaboration with area officials on improving incident management and response. After the luncheon, there was a farewell reception for David Robertson, who retired at the end of the year after serving as COG's executive director since 2003. 
COG officials supported the decision by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to put in place mandatory rules to address the telephone company failures the Commission said led to last summer’s 9-1-1 service outages in several states, including Northern Virginia. The FCC report supported the preliminary findings and conclusions of a COG task force comprised of 9-1-1 Center Directors, as well as those of the Virginia Corporation Commission.