Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Government meeting recap

During its monthly meeting Thursday, Feb. 26, the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments (CWCOG) Board of Directors was presented with a request from Executive Director William Fashing on behalf of staff for the consideration of Resolution 26-05. The purpose of the resolution is “to implement the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) guidance for a special call for projects.” According to Thursday’s agenda, CRP is “a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) transportation program established in 2021 under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to provide funding for projects designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from on-road highway sources including but not limited to replacement of street lighting and traffic control devices with energy-efficient alternatives; pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure; public transportation projects; and acquisition, installation, or operation of publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure.” Though there was a special call for projects in 2024, the last regular CRP call was back in 2023. With an estimated $336,714 available for CRP that “needs to be distributed to a rural project,” the call for projects is “intended to select one or more rural projects for these estimated funds” and the application period is Monday, March 1 through Thursday, March 12. The board unanimously approved Resolution 26-05, “adopting the CRP guidance for the 2026 special call for projects and allowing the CWCOG agency to implement said guidance.”

Again, on behalf of staff, Fashing requested the consideration of Resolution No. 26-06. The resolution is “to implement the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) guidance for a regular call for projects.” According to Thursday’s agenda, STBG is a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) transportation program that “provides flexible funding to states and localities for transportation improvement projects ranging from general planning to planning and constructing projects on Federal-aid highways, bridge projects, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, transit capital projects, and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.” A formula is used to apportion these STBG funds to each state based on its population “as a ratio of the nation’s total population,” and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) “provides regional allocations of the funds to CWCOG, relative to census information, to advance local priorities within Cowlitz County.” Through the requested call for projects, CWCOG “distributes these funds to Cowlitz County regional priority projects based on criteria derived from the Metropolitan and Regional Transportation Plan (M/RTP) goals and policies.” According to Thursday’s agenda, the call for projects “is intended to distribute about $3.6 million of STBG funds,” $1,724,406 of which would be allocated for the Longview Urban Area, $147,766 for the Woodland Urban Area, $552,082 for rural areas, and $1,209,248 for either urban or rural.” The board unanimously approved Resolution No. 26-06.

Following a presentation by guest speaker Tim Rahschulte of the Professional Development Academy, Fashing gave his executive director’s report. Fashing began by providing a financial report for Quarter 4 of 2025 and discussed expenditures versus ending-fund balances over the past five years (2021-2025). Of the five years, fourth-quarter expenditures were at their highest in 2024 ($1,670,751) and lowest in 2022 ($1,144,065). The ending fund balance was at its highest in 2025 ($696,525) and lowest in 2022 ($573,429). Comparing the number of website visitors between 2024 and 2025, Fashing reported 2025 saw over 70,000 visits to the website in 2025 and around 50,000 in 2024. “Unique visitors” were up in 2025 as well, surpassing 50,000, whereas 2024 saw 30,000. Discussing economic development metrics, Fashing compared 24-month unemployment rates for 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 for both the region and the U.S. overall. Following a jump from just below six percent in 2019 to nearly eight percent in 2021, the region’s unemployment rate dipped to just below six percent in 2023 and just over five percent in 2025. Using the same 24-month periods to compare per-capita money income based on a five-year ACS (American Community Survey), Fashing showed 2025 had the highest number at just over $35,000 in the region, compared to just over $25,000 in 2019. During the “other business” portion of the meeting following Fashing’s report, it was announced that a letter of support has been submitted regarding Wahkiakum County’s WHEELhouse Capital Capacity Grant Application. Before the meeting was adjourned, a QR code was then presented to provide a Human Services Transportation Plan survey that would “help guide the CWCOG coordinated transportation efforts in the five-county region.”