South Central Ozark Council of Governments A Designated Economic Development District
The South Central Ozark Region is made up of seven counties with only one having a population of over 25,000. All of the counties are Third Class. Twenty-four incorporated municipalities are contained in the region; one third class city, nineteen fourth class cities, and four villages.
The region is comprised of forty school districts (or parts thereof). Twenty-six of those school districts offer grades Kindergarten through 12, with the other 14 offering Kindergarten or first grade through eighth grade.
There are five Missouri legislative districts contained in whole or in part in the Region. Missouri’s 141st, 142nd, 143rd, 154th, and 155th districts are represented. Similarly, two State Senatorial Districts, the 25th and 33rd, lie within the boundaries of the region.
The region is represented in the United States’ Senate by Senator Eric Schmitt and Senator Josh Hawley. The counties of Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Shannon, Texas, and Wright lie within Missouri’s Eighth Congressional District, currently represented by Congressman Jason Smith.
As both the Designated Economic Development District and the Regional Planning Commission for seven counties in South Central Missouri, SCOCOG is dedicated to providing high quality service that many municipalities and counties expect only from urban centers. In addition to planning assistance and grant development, SCOCOG provides services such as computerized mapping desktop publishing, funding research, and local project community development.
Services we provide include:
Comprehensive Community Planning
Public Facility Grant Preparation
Community Survey Analysis
Grant Administration for State and Federally Funded Projects
SCOCOG is administered by a Board consisting of governmental and non-governmental representatives. Its Executive Board consists of the presiding commissioners from the seven county region.
Our mission is to promote human resources, educational opportunities, and economic development in order to enhance the quality of life for the region’s inhabitants. The organization strives to accomplish these objectives by:
Providing professional staff assistance to local governments and organizations in the region.
Serving as an advocate for the South Central Region before federal, state, and local government agencies and other organizations that influence or affect public policy.
Promoting the economic development of the region.
Providing a forum for the discussion and resolution of common problems and issues affecting the region.