DETCOG Kicks Off 60th Anniversary Year with San Augustine Meeting

DETCOG Executive Director Lonnie Hunt speaks during a Jan. 22 reception in San Augustine celebrating the organization’s 60th anniversary. DETCOG will observe the milestone with meetings and receptions across all 11 Deep East Texas counties throughout 2026.

SAN AUGUSTINE — The Deep East Texas Council of Governments officially launched its 60th anniversary year Thursday, Jan. 22, during its first board meeting of 2026, held at the San Augustine Community Shelter, followed by a reception at the San Augustine County Courthouse.

Founded in 1966, DETCOG serves as the regional planning and economic development organization for 11 East Texas counties, bringing together local governments to coordinate planning, secure grant funding, and provide shared services across the region.

During Thursday’s meeting, the DETCOG Board approved an application to the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeking funding for a Bioeconomy Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone Rating for Deep East Texas. The rating would provide an investment-grade assessment of the region’s readiness for bio-based manufacturing, evaluating factors such as biomass supply, workforce availability, infrastructure, utilities, and site development feasibility. BDO Zone Ratings are widely used by site selectors and project developers when considering new industrial projects.

The board also approved 11 regional solid waste grant applications, totaling $74,805, submitted by cities and counties across the region. Grant recipients include Angelina, Houston, Nacogdoches, Polk, Sabine, San Jacinto, Trinity, and Tyler counties, along with the cities of Diboll, Nacogdoches, and San Augustine. The awards remain subject to review and final approval by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

In addition, board members adopted resolutions supporting three regional grant applications to the Governor’s Office. The proposed grants would help fund improvements to radio communications for law enforcement and first responder agencies and provide reimbursements for expenses incurred by juvenile probation departments serving the region.

DETCOG officials gather Jan. 22 at the San Augustine County Courthouse to kick off the organization’s 60th anniversary. Pictured, left to right, are Lonnie Hunt, Daniel Holden, Jeff Boyd, Travis Sharp, Robert Shankle, and Leroy Hughes.

DETCOG’s Annual Performance Report was also presented during the meeting. The report outlines the organization’s activities and accomplishments from the past year and includes projections for 2026. The report is available for public viewing on the DETCOG website and online.

DETCOG was originally organized in 1966 as an Economic Development District under the U.S. Department of Commerce and later became a regional planning commission for the State of Texas in 1968. Today, the organization encompasses more than 9,400 square miles across Angelina, Houston, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler counties—an area larger than several U.S. states.

Now marking six decades of service, DETCOG continues to operate as a voluntary association of local governments, with no taxing or ordinance-making authority.

“We are not another layer of government,” said DETCOG Executive Director Lonnie Hunt. “Our role is to support local governments and provide services that wouldn’t be feasible or efficient for individual counties or cities to do on their own.”

DETCOG’s Board of Directors meets monthly in a different county within the region. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 26, at noon at Larry Bruce Gardens, located between Crockett and Kennard in Houston County. A 60th anniversary reception will precede the meeting at 10 a.m. at the Houston County Courthouse in Crockett.