Public Reception in Crockett to Recognize DETCOG’s 60th Anniversary Year
February 20, 2026 - The monthly meeting of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) Board of Directors will be held Thursday, February 26, 2026, at Larry Bruce Gardens, located between Crockett and Kennard. A Luncheon will be served at noon, and the Board meeting will be held immediately following lunch.
A special guest at this month’s meeting will be U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions who represents four of the 11 DETCOG counties. Welcoming members and guests to Houston County will be Houston County Judge Jim Lovell and County Commissioners Gary Lovell, Willie Kitchen, Gene Stokes and Jimmy Henderson, along with Crockett Mayor Ianthia Fisher and Kennard Mayor Donald Lamb.
DETCOG’s President, San Jacinto County Commissioner Mark Nettuno, extends an invitation to the meeting to all interested parties. “DETCOG Board meetings are open to the public, and guests are always welcome,” he said. “We’re especially pleased to have Congressman Sessions join us this month.”
Prior to the Board meeting, a public reception to celebrate DETCOG’s 60th year of service will be held at 10am at the Houston County Courthouse in downtown Crockett. DETCOG was organized in November of 1966, and public receptions are being held in each county of the region in conjunction with monthly board meetings.
Originally organized as an Economic Development District under the U.S. Department of Commerce, DETCOG also became a regional planning commission for the State of Texas in 1968. Today, the organization encompasses the counties of Angelina, Houston, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler. At 9,414 square miles, the region is larger than five U.S. states.
Now in its 60th year, DETCOG continues to unite the local governments of the region to provide for coordinated planning, promote efficiency, and deliver services to benefit its local governments and their citizens.
“We are not another layer of government,” points out DETCOG Executive Director Lonnie Hunt. “Membership in DETCOG is voluntary, and the COG doesn’t have any taxing authority or ordinance-making authority. We exist to support our local governments and provide services to them and their citizens that wouldn’t be feasible or efficient for each individual county or city to do on their own.”
Larry Bruce Gardens is located off State Highway 7 at 3198 County Road 4600, Kennard, Texas. For more information about the meeting, contact the Deep East Texas Council of Governments office in Lufkin at 936-634-2247.
