Planning and economic development commissions are generally EDA planning districts and may include people other than elected officials on their boards. Regional council is a general term that refers to both. Regional councils are generally governed by their local government members. Their boards may be composed exclusively of elected officials or some combination of elected officials and private citizens, depending on the provisions of the charter and by-laws of each council. In creating the regions, the state required a minimum of three counties per region and a population base of at least 100,000 people per region.
Regional councils serve their member local governments and depend on a variety of funding sources.
They have no taxing, legislative, or regulatory authority. Funding is provided by a combination of membership dues, federal and state grants, private grants, fees for service, and state allocations. Membership in regional councils is voluntary. The North Carolina Association of Regional Councils provides a vehicle for executive directors and senior staff to share information on issues important to all regions. Information taken from North Carolina s Regional Councils, Community Progress Through Cooperation .