Yakima Valley Conference of Governments, hereafter referred to as YVCOG, has been serving Yakima, WA and the Yakima Valley community for over 50 years. It is a voluntary organization of local governments whose purpose is to foster a cooperative effort in resolving problems, policies and plans that are common and regional. YVCOG work areas of emphasis consist of: Transportation, Commute Trip Reduction, Economic Development, Comprehensive Plans, Homeless Housing, GIS, and other jurisdictional needs through Technical Assistance. YVCOG is a regional planning resource that facilitates, advocates, and educates through technical and professional expertise, public outreach, grants and other funding opportunities. YVCOG serves as the lead agency for the Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) as enabled by Washington State law, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) as enabled by federal law. The YVCOG Executive Committee is the ruling body elected by the General Membership for YVCOG, and is comprised of elected officials from 15 local public jurisdictions. The YVCOG Policy Board is the ruling body for MPO/RTPO, and is also comprised of elected officials.