Richland County has eleven representatives: six elected officials and five citizens appointed by Council. The terms are three years. The duties and powers include guiding area wide development; providing research, planning and technical assistance to the 34 individual local governments in the region; assisting with land use planning, mapping, public administration statistics, transportation, housing, environment, community development, and planning of services for the elderly; keeping tabs on growth and development of the region by compiling, analyzing, and publishing a variety of information which serves as the basis for decision makers in both the public and private sectors.