Northeastern Association of Local Governments (NECALG)

The Northeastern Colorado Association of Local Governments is a voluntary association of county and municipal governments from Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington and Yuma Counties. As specified in the Articles of Association, the Agency’s purpose is to promote cooperation and coordination among local governments in Northeastern Colorado for the efficient use of public resources to improve the quality of life.

There is no universal model for regional councils of governments. There are 14 regional governmental associations within Colorado. All are different and unique because each reflects the needs and desires of its membership. NECALG is what its members want it to be, according to the changing needs and opportunities unique to the region.

NECALG was started in Wray, Colorado in 1972 operating in the newly designated Planning and Management Region One. In 1977 the organization moved to Sterling, Colorado to be more centralized in the Region. By this time NECALG was working on economic development projects and Area Agency on Aging, community Action and Winterization. Grants were written to start the early version of 911 in Sterling and the initial grants were started to start regional transportation.

In 1982 the Board chose to move again to Fort Morgan. In the mid 1980’s NECALG moved away from planning and turned more to direct services. CSBG, Weatherization, and Area Agency on Aging were the core grants, Enterprise Zone was a key economic development project that was added in the Mid-1980s.