About Kern Council of Governments

Kern Council of Governments, better known as Kern COG , is an association of city and county governments created to address regional transportation issues. Its Member Agencies include the County of Kern and the 11 incorporated cities within Kern County.

The Kern COG Board of Directors is comprised of one elected official from each of the 11 incorporated cities in Kern County, two Kern County Supervisors and ex-officio members representing Caltrans and Golden Empire Transit District. Monthly board meetings provide the public forum for discussion and collaborative decision-making on significant issues of regional transportation and mobility. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month.

What We Do

As the federally-designated Metropolitan Planning Organization and the state-designated Regional Transportation Planning Agency for Kern County, Kern COG is responsible for developing and updating a variety of transportation plans and for allocating the federal and state funds to implement them.

For detailed information on specific Kern COG projects, visit the projects section of our website at http://www.kerncog.org/projectbriefs.php.

Although regional transportation planning is its primary role, Kern COG also functions as the state-designated Census Data Center Affiliate for the Kern Region and the Kern Motorist Aid Authority , which operates emergency call boxes on county highways; and provides leadership in the development of geographic information systems in local government.

Following Board direction, staff coordinates between local, state, and federal agencies to avoid overlap or duplication of programs. This intergovernmental coordination enables staff to work with many public agencies to ensure that planning and implementation of programs proceed in a coordinated manner.

If you would like to learn more about Kern COG, please visit our website at kerncog.org.