ABOUT US
WHAT WE DO
OVERVIEW
The Catawba Regional Council of Governments serves local governments and communities in many ways. Through use of the Council, local governments have an avenue to:
- Pool resources to support an organization with a professionally trained staff, thereby reducing the financial burden of maintaining permanent local staff or retaining consultants;
- Obtain and administer federal and state grants;
- Provide a forum through which to meet and exchange ideas;
- Promote economic development and community plans;
- Influence state and federal program funding decisions.
In 1983, the Council of Governments established an affiliated regional development corporation to help small businesses and industries access capital sources that are otherwise unavailable through conventional lenders. The Development Corporation utilizes the Small Business Administration’s 504 Loan Program and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Intermediary Relending Program to provide gap financing to business throughout the region. Additionally, the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control has contracted with Catawba Regional to be the state-wide fund manager for an Environmental Protection Agency funded Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Program. Catawba Regional began a new $1 million SC Agribusiness Loan Fund (SC ALF) in late 2016 to loan funds to family farmers, agribusinesses, and aquaculture companies in 35 counties across the state. This fund augments a $7.2 million EDA capitalized revolving loan fund that serves 29 counties of SC as well as $8.3 million EDA capitalized COVID relief loan funds.
SERVICE HIGHLIGHTS
- Regional and Local Comprehensive Planning
- Community Development
- Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act administration
- Grant Development and Administration
- Regional Census and Economic Data Clearinghouse
- Management, Technical Assistance, Information Dissemination, and Project Coordination
- Geographic Information System and FAA Certified UAV Drone services
- Recreation Planning
- Historic Preservation
- Transportation Planning
- Regional and Multi-state Cooperative Initiatives
- Environmental Assessment and Financing Initiatives
