The Glue that Binds Better Together: A Conversation with Pennsylvania's Councils of Government

What happens when municipalities stop trying to solve every problem alone? In this episode, members of the Pennsylvania Councils of Government explore how intermunicipal cooperation creates capacity, improves services and helps communities learn from one another. Patrick Conners of South Hills COG, Ben Estell of Centre Region COG, Lance Prator of Slate Belt COG, and Deborah Grass of PACOG share examples ranging from joint purchasing and shared equipment to regional parks, bike networks, planning and public safety. The conversation also looks at why COGs remain poorly understood, how cooperation can preserve local identity while expanding capacity, and why PACOG hopes to strengthen the statewide voice of councils of government. The episode previews PACOG’s September 1-2 conference in State College, themed “Better Together.” CHAPTERS: 00:00 — Introduction 02:36 — What Is a Council of Government? 05:45 — Centre Region: Consistency Across Municipal Borders 09:56 — Small Communities, Shared Capacity 13:39 — What Municipalities Gain from Working Together 16:54 — Sharing Ideas and Not Reinventing the Wheel 18:36 — Building Networks Across Municipal Borders 20:47 — Cooperation, Consistency and Fairness 23:31 — Creating Places to Solve Problems Together 25:47 — Think Globally, Act Locally 27:12 — What PACOG Brings to the Table 31:28 — Learning From Other COGs 32:58 — Who Should Be Paying Attention to COGs? 34:34 — Building a Statewide Voice 37:34 — Why Some Municipalities Hold Back 43:00 — Making COGs More Visible 44:53 — PACOG Conference Preview: Better Together 48:13 — What Everyone Is Looking Forward To