GoBus Announces Highest Regional Ridership Since 2014 and Receipt of New Grant Funding Award

ETCOG is now accepting interest forms from individuals passionate about making a difference in our region. We have multiple vacancies on our advisory committees, and we invite citizens in our region to submit your interest for consideration.

The Texas Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for the Community Development Fund. Maximum award amount is $750,000 for eligible applicants. Applications are due on December 3, 2024.

ETCOG is proud to announce its Executive Committee approved the renewal of purchasing a mass emergency notification system as a part of its public safety program for the 14 th consecutive year. ETCOG has entered a new five-year contract with Rave Mobility for an annual payment of $80,000, funded by our Homeland Security Grant funding. This system allows ETCOG to partner with East Texas’ city and county emergency management coordinators to send messages quickly notifying citizens about emergencies such as: Tornadoes and storm events Drinking water contamination Utility outages Evacuation notices and routes Missing persons Fires or floods Bomb threats Hostage or active shooter situations Chemical spills or gas leaks Other emergency incidents where rapid and accurate notification is essential This will be the second five-year contract ETCOG has entered into with Rave Mobility, offering unlimited minutes/texting, unlimited system users, and unlimited weather warnings that instantly and automatically alert recipients based on weather in the area, including type of weather, location, and severity. It also allows emergency management coordinators to deploy messages in over 50 different language translations and integrates with social media platforms. “We are excited to continue our service with Rave Mobility to offer Smart911 alerts,” said ETCOG’s Public Safety Director, Stephanie Heffner. “The capacity to have unlimited minutes and users opens up the opportunity to partner with more jurisdictions in the region that may have not participated before. Also, we know many of our jurisdictions used to pay for weather warning services out of pocket, so we are happy to offer a cost-saving opportunity with this vendor.” The system has been contracted for Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood counties. To sign up for Smart911 Alerts from your community, visit www.etcog.org/alerts . The system will collect information to share with first responders on your household, medical and emergency contacts, and if there are pets in the home.

Assistance is available to find and compare 2025 health and drug plans now

ETCOG is pleased to announce its new Chairman, City of Quitman Mayor Randy Dunn, the new Board and Executive Committee Officers serving for FY 2025, and Executive Committee members serving a new two-year term. The ETCOG Board of Directors appoints the Executive Committee, which is responsible for establishing the policies, programs, and services on behalf of the Board for our 14-county region. Board Officers Chairman – City of Quitman Mayor Randy Dunn 1st Vice Chairman – Rusk County Commissioner Robert Kuykendall 2nd Vice Chairman – City of Whitehouse Mayor James Wansley 3rd Vice Chairman – Camp County Judge AJ Mason Secretary/Treasurer – Smith County Commissioner Ralph Caraway “I am proud to serve on the Executive Board for ETCOG!” said Mayor Randy Dunn. “Since the time I began serving, I have learned there is so much more that ETCOG offers than I knew before. As Chairman for the upcoming fiscal year, I hope we can offer more communication to our counties and communities, making them aware of the funding, knowledge, and assistance available to them. The population growth in our part of the state offers huge opportunities for economic growth and I want our region to take advantage of all the resources available. ETCOG staff is ready and very capable to help!” New Executive Committee Terms Cherokee County – City of Rusk Mayor Ben Middlebrooks Gregg County – Judge Bill Stoudt Rains County – Commissioner Jeremy Cook Smith County – Commissioner Ralph Caraway Smith County Cities – City of Whitehouse Mayor James Wansley New Executive Committee Members Gregg County Cities – City of Longview Councilwoman Michelle Gamboa Marion County – City of Jefferson Mayor Patricia Finstrom "I am grateful for the volunteer service rendered by all of our elected officials and particularly want to thank and congratulate our new Chairman, Mayor Randy Dunn, and the rest of our ETCOG Officers and Board members for their selfless dedication and service to our region," said ETCOG's Executive Director, David Cleveland. With an $85.4 M budget for FY 2025, ETCOG’s service programs have set forth program goals in its annual budget and planning guide. Highlights include: Area Agency on Aging of East Texas - $5,713,918 403,000 home-delivered senior meals 68,400 Senior congregate meals Respite care, caregiver support, and training Public Safety - $4,104,085 180,000 9-1-1 calls Training 2,190 peace officers Completion of establishing the Pineywoods 911 District GoBus - $13,214,118 Providing 130,000 passenger trips Completion of the new maintenance facility in Kilgore Purchase of transportation maintenance facility in Tyler Workforce and Economic Development – $61,938,817 Move to the new Longview Workforce Center $47,278,181 in Child Care funding to East Texas residents and childcare facilities $228,000 in new Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Air Quality grants To learn more about the FY 2025 budget and program goals, visit www.etcog.org/financials .

ETCOG is constantly evaluating opportunities to add value to our members. Many of you have expressed interest in exploring opportunities to drive financial and administrative efficiencies via collaborative purchasing of employee benefits. We’ve engaged our benefits broker partners at Gallagher to help us assess the feasibility of developing a multiple-employer benefits pool for ETCOG members. We'll kick off this process with an educational session. Please join ETCOG and Gallagher’s team of dedicated experts responsible for building and maintaining pools across the U.S. on Thursday, October 17, at 10:00 am for a virtual session to explore the following: What is a benefits pool Why joining a benefits pool is valuable What changes for your leadership team and employees How state and federal legislation impacts the formation of a new consortium The steps and timeline for creating a new consortium

ETCOG has received applications for TCEQ's Municipal Solid Waste Grants. The applications are available for public and private review through October 11, 2024.

ETCOG is proud to host the Texas Department of Agriculture on October 15th to hold a TxCDBG Kickoff Meeting. The meeting will be held at 3:00 PM at ETCOG Offices. Join us to hear about grant allocations planned for our region and an overview of proposed changes to the application process. Regional input is welcomed on how TDA can best serve non-entitlement communities through the revised application process. Questions? Contact our Economic Development Specialist! Rebecca Gage , 903-218-6499