Councils of government also host some intermunicipal services based on the needs and voluntary participation of member or client municipalities.

Because the power once reserved for county governments was now in the hands of municipal administrations, major land use, environmental, and infrastructure issues often pitted one town against another, resulting in little or no progress on some projects.

[citation needed] In an effort to resolve these conflicts, the State of Connecticut passed legislation in the 1980s establishing fifteen regional councils, which cluster towns with similar demographics into an administrative planning region, in contrast to the old county structure.

OPM staff attended meetings in Bristol, Burlington and Plymouth, and subsequently granted each of the appeals.

Unlike county governments, the authority of regional councils is limited to land use policy-making, infrastructure development, emergency preparedness, and long-term planning for population and economic changes for the communities within their respective jurisdiction.

With assistance from the Connecticut State Police and FBI, several regions have established such task forces.

Several similar regional agencies exist, including federally designated metropolitan planning organizations.

The United States Census Bureau formally recognized the planning regions/councils of government as county equivalents in the Federal Register on June 6, 2022.