Regional Services

Goal 9 of the Ferguson Township Strategic Plan is “Partnerships and Regional Thinking,” and includes working toward regional cooperation on issues that affect the entire Centre Region. To help achieve this goal, Ferguson Township is an active member of the Centre Region Council of Governments (COG).

The Centre Region Council of Governments (COG) is a voluntary association that provides cost-effective and high-quality services through a regional program.

Since 1969, COG has provided financially prudent, quality public services to the approximately 93,236 residents that call the Centre Region home. These include emergency management; parks and recreation; refuse and recycling; water and sewer; code enforcement; transportation; library services; planning and administrative services.

Ferguson Township joins the Borough of State College and the Townships of College, Halfmoon, Harris, and Patton as the six principal COG member municipalities.

COG programs are funded by member municipalities, and the cost to each is determined by a variety of formulas to ensure each locality contributes its fair share based on its respective usage of each program. The most common funding formula is based on three equally weighted elements: population served (excluding Penn State students), assessed value of properties, and Earned Income Tax.

Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA)

Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA)

CATA provides residents of Ferguson Township with direct access to quality, affordable public transit. CATA's 17 bus routes and 3 microtransit zones make it easy to get where you want to go in the Township and in State College, including Game Day shuttles for Penn State football games. CATABUS provides approximately 4.7 million trips per year and operates entirely on clean, compressed natural gas. CATAGO!, a curb-to-curb service, provides convenient and flexible scheduling for your transportation needs. CATARIDE provides origin-to-destination transportation primarily for persons 65 and over and persons whose disabilities prevent their use of the CATABUS system. CATACOMMUTE and Commute with Enterprise have partnered to support and continue vanpool options available for commuters, offering shared mobility options to residents and employees who travel to the Centre Region in Centre County from several surrounding counties.

Cost per resident: $7.76

While not a COG program, The Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) is a joint municipal authority. Five local municipalities, the Borough of State College and the four surrounding townships, Patton, Ferguson, Harris, and College, as well as the additional contracted municipalities of Bellefonte Borough, Spring Township, and Benner Township, contribute to funding the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) needs to deliver quality, efficient public transportation services. In 2022-23, the Township's contribution to CATA’s budget was $147,596.

Centre Region Parks and Recreation (CRPR)

With the exception of the Louis E. Silvi Baseball Complex, Centre Region Parks and Recreation (CRPR) maintains all Ferguson Township parks. In addition to maintaining the parks, CRPR is responsible for organizing park activities, operating the Gifts-For-Parks Program, managing picnic pavilions, and much more.

Cost per resident – $68.11 per resident | $20.82 more than 2016
CRPR’s responsibilities include the maintenance and operation of municipal and regional parks, aquatics facilities, the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, and the Centre Region Active Adult Center. CRPR also offers a menu of programs, sports leagues, and special events for the enjoyment of Centre Region residents. The Township's total contributions for all capital and operating expenditures are budgeted at $1,246,995, or $68.11 per resident. This item includes planned 2017 improvements to existing parks such as the Tudek Dog Park, paving of the Fairbrook Park parking lot, ADA access at the Louis E. Silvi Baseball Complex, and equipment to meet playground safety standards. Grant revenue will be used to offset some of these expenditures.

Schlow Centre Region Library

Headquartered in downtown State College, Schlow provides books, e-books, videos, and other services to residents of the Centre Region. In 2015, the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors voted to rejoin the Centre Region Council of Government’s Articles of Agreement with Schlow Centre Region Library.

Cost per resident: $28.32
The 2023 contribution to the Library’s operating budget was $511,497.00 or $26.91 per resident, and a contribution of $26,825.00 to the Library’s capital budget, or $1.41 per resident.

The Township also partners with Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority (CCRRA), which provides trash and recycling collection services to residents through Waste Management.

Other Regional Services

In addition to the Centre Region Council of Governments, Ferguson Township also participates in other regional services. The following are links to other organizations that provide services to Ferguson Township:

In case of an emergency, residents may want to provide emergency responders with confidential information about anyone in the home who may have special needs, advanced medical conditions, or who will need assistance in the event of an emergency or evacuation. While Ferguson Township does not offer this service, Centre County does. Learn more.

If you’re in a house or building you think may be on fire, leave immediately and call 9-1-1 using a cell phone. Or call from a nearby house or business. Never go back inside a burning building where you could be trapped.