The leaders of 10 Greater Danbury area towns are taking steps to merge their regional planning group with one representing lower Fairfield County towns.  A public hearing is being held tonight in Brookfield about merging the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials and the South Western Regional Planning Agency into the 18 town Western Connecticut Council of Governments. 

The state recently passed an initiative calling for the 13 planning agencies in the state to merge into no more than eight.  The state is hoping for more regionalization efforts when it comes to a sharing of equipment and bulk purchasing power to bring the cost of government down.  But area leaders say the HVCEO region already does a lot of that. 

The hearing tonight at Brookfield Town Hall is scheduled for 7:15.