Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments Receives National Award

The Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments (NWMORCOG), based in Maryville, Missouri, received a 2012 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation for the Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan for Missouri's Electric Cooperatives.   

The award, accepted last week by NWMORCOG director Tye Parsons, recognizes the statewide planning process that provides access to new resources for strengthening the electrical infrastructure of the state of Missouri.  For the first time, Missouri’s electric cooperatives have access to federal mitigation dollars thanks to the completion of the statewide hazard mitigation plan by the NWMORCOG and Missouri Association of Councils of Government.  “This is really the first time we have taken on a project of this size” noted Parsons.  “Not only did we coordinate 15 of Missouri’s regional planning commissions, but we also worked closely with 44 of the electric cooperatives in the state, the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, and the Federal and State Emergency Management Agencies.  Despite all those stakeholders, we completed the statewide plan on time and under budget, and most importantly it allows federal dollars to flow into Missouri to help harden our electrical infrastructure against natural disasters.”

NADO is a Washington, DC-based association that promotes programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery, and comprehensive strategies.  The association’s Innovation Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and partnering organizations for improving the economic and community competitiveness of our nation’s regions and local communities. Award winners were showcased during NADO’s 2012 Annual Training Conference, held October 13-16 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

“For more than 25 years, NADO’s Innovation Award has provided regional development organizations throughout the nation a unique opportunity to showcase their important work and their critical role in promoting economic development for rural and small metropolitan communities. The creativity and significant, long-term impact of regional programs and projects like the Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan for Missouri's Electric Cooperatives are the key to advancing the economic growth and sustainability of our nation’s regions and communities,” said NADO President Russell Cowley, executive director of the Six County Association of Governments in Richfield, UT.

The NWMORCOG is one of Missouri’s 19 regional planning commissions, and has served Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway, and Worth counties since 1968.  For more information about the award-winning project, contact Tye Parsons at the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments at 660-582-5121.