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ECIAA Regional
Response to Local Needs
Prepared by the East Central Iowa Economic Development District
under Economic Development Grant No. 05-83-0437503. The preparation
of this report was financially aided (50% federal; 50% local)
through a Federal grant from the Department of Commerce - Economic
Development Adminstration authorized by the Public Works and
Economic Development Act of 1965 as amended.
ComprehensiveeConomiC
Developmentstrategy
Annual Report
For period January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011
East Central Intergovernmental Association7600 Commerce Park
Dubuque IA 52002
563-556-4166www.ecia.org
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Contents
Section 1 - Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
....3
Section 2 - Adjustments Including Analysis
...................................4
Adjustments Including Opportunities
.................................10
Accomplishments Achieved, Quantifiable Deliverables,
Difficulties Encountered
........................................................13
Section 3 - Evaluation
....................................................................
30
Section 4 - Schedule
.......................................................................31
2012 Proposed Scope of Work
.................................................... 53
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Section 1Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
Organization & Background
In 1978, ECIA received designation as an Economic Development
District. As such, ECIA prepares a Comprehensive Economic
Development Strategy (CEDS) to coordinate economic development
activities in the region. This makes cities/counties eligible to
receive EDA grant/loan funds. Staff provides assistance to local
governments, development corporations, chambers of commerce,
businesses, and individuals in the ongoing implementation of the
CEDS. The East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA) is a
membership supported organization of local governmental bodies in
Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, and Jackson Counties in eastern
Iowa. ECIA provides services in the following categories: Community
Development, Economic Development, Transportation Planning, Housing
Assistance, Employment and Training and Rural Transit Services.
Community Development activities include grant writing, grant
administration, comprehensive planning, technical advice related to
city financial planning, codification of ordinances, building
inspections, flood assistance, and the provision of census data and
other information related to the operation of city/ county
government.
E.C.I.A. Business Growth Inc., a non-profit corporation formed
in 1982, provides low-interest loans to businesses for expansion
that creates new or retains current jobs. The Small Business
Administration is the primary funding source. E.C.I.A. Business
Growth Inc. has extended loans in excess of $68,518,199. E.C.I.A.
Business Growth has either created or retained more than 4,615
jobs. Business Growth Inc. also assists local communities in the
administration of Revolving Loan Funds. These funds are loaned to
businesses and industries, and the proceeds are returned to the
local governments for future loans.
To help meet the area's workforce and commercial transportation
needs, ECIA provides planning and technical assistance to various
transportation organizations.
Established in 1978, the Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Authority
(EIRHA) operates as a division of ECIA, which provides staff and
administrative support. EIRHA has a separate Board of Directors,
elected by EIRHA members. In the five-county area, EIRHA provides
two programs of housingassistance benefiting low-income families
and the elderly.
Since its inception in 1982, the Job Training Partnership Act,
now known as the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), has been operating
successfully to develop job training programs for qualified adults
and youth. Under the administration of ECIA, the program provides
job training services in Dubuque and Delaware Counties. ECIA staff
works with educational institutions and employers to train people
for ongoing full-time employment. Training is provided on the job
and through technical training programs. The training programs help
people obtain skills that enable them to compete successfully in
the job market.
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SECTION 2ADJUSTMENTS INCLUDING ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES
East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA) is in the
second year of its five year CEDS cycle (20102014). The CEDS is
being utilized in the region to monitor and evaluate our long term
economic goals and strategies and to coordinate the economic
development activities in the region. This report submitted is the
annual update of the CEDS for the 2011 calendar year. The CEDS
document and the process that has been implemented act as tools for
developing goals and strategies that will guide the economic growth
of the region.
Throughout this past year, input for the development of this
annual report was received from local community leaders, economic
developers, schools, private business, etc. through public meetings
and in person and electronic communication, which have assisted in
guiding our vision for the economic future of the region. The 2011
CEDS Annual Report builds on the five-year CEDS and updates the
region's progress in the past year for the adopted short- and long-
range goals.
This report includes the updated Implementation and Evaluation
Report that reflects the goals, and the schedule for completing
those goals, for the region. The CEDS Committee, with input from
local representation, updated the tasks, performance measures,
schedule, and evaluation indicators for the region. The
Implementation and Evaluation Report has been adjusted to indicate
projects that have been completed (BOLD type) and projects that
have either been updated or added (RED type). The report reflects a
great deal of activity in the Improvement of Basic Public Works
Goal with many projects either under construction or near
completion.
In addition to the Implementation and Evaluation Report, the
Results of the Plan have been updated as well and are included in
this document. The Results of the Plan evaluates the overall
activity in the job market, which is driven in part by the total
economic development activity in the region. The jobs lost and
gained in specific businesses for calendar year 2010 for the region
have been listed.
Employment/Unemployment & PopulationThe chart to the right
shows total employment by sector in 2006, 2009 and 2010. Stability
in some sectors is countered by employment reductions and
expansions in others, with the greatest gains being made in
professional and business services and education and health
services. The greatest losses were seen in the manufacturing and
information sectors.
In the past year, the region gained 735 total jobs, but we have
not yet returned to the employment levels of 2006 (1).
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
Annual Private Employment by Industry Sector 2006, 2009 &
2010
2006 Employment
2009 Employment
2010 Employment
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Economic activity for the region was weaker than in previous
years, with high levels of job loss and above average unemployment
rates. As can be seen in the maps below, between 2006, 2009, and
2010, unemployment levels rose dramatically across the country and
the state of Iowa. Given poor economic conditions at the national
level, the local economy has remained slightly above average.
Unemployment rates for the State of Iowa have remained lower than
the national average and unemployment rates for the region also
came in below the national average during the reporting period.
Unemployment rates by county, 2006 annual averages
(U S rate = 4 6 percent)(U.S. rate = 4.6 percent)
14 0% or over14.0% or over12.0% to 13.9%10.0% to 11.9% 8.0% to
9.9% 6.0% to 7.9% 4.0% to 5.9% 3.9% or belowNot availableBureau of
Labor StatisticsLocal Area Unemployment Statistics
SOURCE:
Unemployment rates by county, 2009 annual averages
(U S rate = 9 3 percent)(U.S. rate = 9.3 percent)
14.0% or over12.0% to 13.9%10.0% to 11.9% 8.0% to 9.9% 6.0% to
7.9% 4.0% to 5.9% 3.9% or belowBureau of Labor StatisticsLocal Area
Unemployment Statistics
SOURCE:
Unemployment rates by county, September 2010 August 2011
averages
(U S rate = 9 2 percent)(U.S. rate = 9.2 percent)
14.0% and over12.0% to 13.9%10.0% to 11.9% 8.0% to 9.9% 6.0% to
7.9% 4.0% to 5.9% 3.9% or lowerBureau of Labor StatisticsLocal Area
Unemployment Statistics
SOURCE:
The most recent 2011 weighted average regional unemployment rate
is 5.3%, down from 5.7% in 2010 (8). The State of Iowa rate is down
to 6.1% from 6.8% as of August 2011 but remains substantially below
the current U.S. national rate of 9.1% (8).
Iowas population continued to grow for the 22nd straight year,
constituting its longest period of sustained growth since 1900,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau (11). The States population has
increased every year since 1988. Population growth has not been
divided evenly across the state with most of the growth occurring
in or near metropolitan counties.
Polk County, the states largest and home to the capital city of
Des Moines, expanded by 15%. Linn County grew more than 10% despite
a massive flood in 2008 that ruined thousands of homes and
buildings. Johnson County, home to the University of Iowa, gained
18%. Much growth took place in the Des Moines suburbs, including
West Des Moines, up 22%; Ankeny, up 68%; and Urbandale, up 36%
(10).
The losses in rural Iowa are driven by a movement from factories
and other goods-producing industries to more retail businesses,
according to Iowa State University sociologist David Peters (11).
He also attributes some of the losses to the combination of older
residents dying and younger Iowans leaving for the bigger cities.
He predicts rural Iowa will continue a historic trend of merging
school districts and other government services. Fewer jobs will
exist, Peters says, and small towns will slowly vanish. What were
going to see by midcentury is a vastly depopulated Corn Belt and
Great Plains, Peters says. Youre going to see ghost towns reappear
(11).
RegionalismRegionalism remained a priority this past year. ECIA
continued the Prosperity Eastern Iowa initiative. Prosperity
Eastern Iowa is a regional economic development organization
comprised of representatives from local governments, economic
development organizations, colleges, utilities, and other
interested parties in three of the five counties in the ECIA region
as well as Jones County.
In 2008, Prosperity Eastern Iowa developed a long term marketing
strategy and budget for the future of the organization. Through
that process, the mission of Prosperity changed slightly, The
mission of
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Prosperity Eastern Iowa is to successfully market and position
the regional product as a competitive place to do business and
generate new business investments that will grow the regional
economy. Recent funding cuts at the state level will require this
group to reevaluate their mission, goals, and funding strategy.
Prosperity Eastern Iowa has continued to expand the Buyer
Supplier initiative. The goal of the program is to encourage
companies to shift 5% of their out of region spending back into the
region, making regional connections to suppliers. Interesting facts
include: $8.7 billion is spent annually on goods and services from
out-of-region suppliers. $6.5 billion of that goes to non-regional
companies for which there is an existing industry of that kind in
the region. $326 million annually could go directly back into the
regional economy with just a 5% shift in spending habits. Those
dollars `multiply and could increase the region- wide impact to
$458 million and could result in over 3500 jobs annually. In the
fourth year of the program, we have over 1300 companies registered
online, up from 600 registered last year. Over the past year, we
have partnered with Northeast Iowa Business Network to expand the
geographical coverage of the program to include nine counties. We
also partnered with the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce to import
their membership database into the program. We continue to work
with local foods groups to assist with making connections between
local producers and their potential markets in the food service and
hospitality industries.
Economic ActivityIn 2009, Governor Culver requested the
Legislature create an Iowa Jobs (I-JOBS) state investment program,
through the issuance of bonds rather than raising taxes. During the
2009 and 2010 sessions, the Legislature created an $875 million
I-JOBS program, a state recovery package designed to create/retain
jobs, rebuild communities impacted by the natural disasters of 2008
, invest in Iowas infrastructure, and promote long-term economic
growth. Although this was a controversial program, 2,091 projects
were funded statewide with 90 of those in the five-county ECIA
region. The region-wide total I-JOBS funding was $6,758,751. Many
of these projects have been under construction in 2010, 2011 and
are just being completed. the funding had a lasting impact on the
region during 2011.
Land values in the region and at the state level continued to
increase. The average price of an acre is now $5,054. Land values
have more than doubled since 2003 when the average farmland acre
cost $2,200. Economists in Iowa believe the bio-fuel economy is
driving the land price increase. As can be seen in the graph to the
right, land prices remained relatively steady through the 1970s,
rising quickly and then falling during the 1980s with a steep
increase during the 2000s. Currently, the region is home to one
ethanol and one biodiesel plant. This increase in local demand has
led to increased crop prices and the ability to add value to crops
within the region rather than shipping out raw commodities for
manufacturing elsewhere.
Iowa Farmland Values 1900-2010 (average value/acre)
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The Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, serving the metro
area in the ECIA region, is in the fourth year of a five-year
campaign for economic growth. The campaign, known as Destination
for Opportunity, has four main goals:
1. Create 5,500 net, new jobs to bring our workforce to a record
of 61,800* by December of 2012 in the Dubuque County area (7). Job
growth will be tracked by utilizing the Iowa Department of
Workforce Developments official, monthly statistics. Current
Workforce: 57,200 (*Job numbers are periodically bench-marked by
the Iowa Workforce Development and may change the base number.)
Annual progress is shown in the chart below.
2. Targeted wages for new jobs will be $16+ per hour or an
average annual income of $33,280. Dubuque County wage levels will
be monitored using the official data released by the Iowa
Department of Workforce Development and the Iowa Department of
Economic Development. The current unadjusted wage rate is $17.57
(5). Annual progress is shown in the chart below.
46,000
48,000
50,000
52,000
54,000
56,000
58,000
60,000
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
DUBUQUE MSA LABOR FORCE | GOAL: 61,000
2007Benchmark 2008Year 1 2009Year 2 2010Year 3 2011Year 4
2012Year 5
$15.50
$16.00
$16.50
$17.00
$17.50
$18.00
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
DUBUQUE COUNTY WAGE LEVEL | GOAL: $16.00+
Average Wage
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3. $300 million in new commercial construction projects in
Dubuque County. We will track construction using the official
information that is provided by the City of Dubuques Building and
Permits Department and Dubuque County Assessors office. Current
Commercial Construction: $287,229,966 (2003- 2011) (2).
4. Increase the Dubuque County projected population by 6 percent
(5,357) from 89,143 in 2000 to 94,500 in 2012. The official
population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau and Claritas will
be used to monitor Dubuque Countys population growth. The current
Dubuque County population is 93,653 (11). Annual progress is shown
in the chart on the following page.
In the Dubuque area, tourism remained steady, but fared slightly
weaker than the state average of 8.5% (12). Tourism dollars in our
region increased from $254 million to $275 million in the last
year, an increase of 8.3% (3). Tourism managers in the region say
that collaborative partnerships, strategic advertising and great
natural amenities continue to lure visitors to the region and
garner statewide attention for the quality of tourist venues in the
area.
ChallengesIowas looming shortage of skilled workers threatens
the States economy, business leaders and state department leaders
told the State Legislature this past year. The State will have
roughly 100,000 vacancies within the next five years according to
Iowa Workforce Development. One major employer in the ECIA region,
John Deere, told state lawmakers that more than 50% of some
segments of their work forces are eligible for retirement within
the next five years. It has also been indicated that college and
high school educations are not keeping up with the demand in such
areas as math and science careers. Businesses were surveyed in 2011
and cited their need for qualified, technically skilled employees
as their greatest need in planning expansion. Based on the survey,
the majority of employers (87.5%) would hire an employee who has a
high school equivalent with a specialized training certificate in
their industry and 78% feel that experience can substitute for
education. This workforce issue and shortage of employees is very
real in the ECIA region. If the local labor pool dries up, it could
create a perfect storm of collapsing factors, eroding the regions
economic success.
Iowa Workforce Development completed a Workforce Needs
Assessment in October 2011. Employers in the region were asked to
indicate the number of workers that will be eligible to retire
within the
89,000
91,000
93,000
95,000
DUBUQUE COUNTY POPULATION GROWTH | GOAL: 94,500
Population Total
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next seven years. Based on the responses, the number of retirees
appears to be greatest in education (30.4%), healthcare (25.9%),
and manufacturing (14%) (6). The assessment also looked at the
methods employers are undertaking to retain retirement aged
employees and their plans once retirees have left the workforce
including flexible work schedules and increased wages (6).
Retirement eligibility by industry and occupation can be seen in
the following figures from the IWD report (6).
Another workforce issue in Iowa and in the ECIA region is the
gender wage gap. The 2011 State of Working in Iowa report, compiled
by the Iowa Policy Project indicated that the wage disparity in
Iowa is present, but decreasing. Women continue to be paid less
than men in the same jobs, but females in Iowa made greater gains
than at the national level. However, this appears to be due to a
decline in the earnings of men rather than an increase in the
earnings of women.
Regardless of gender, Iowas wages overall fall 88 cents behind
the national average (median) of $16.00 (9). Iowa has lost ground
since 2000, with the median wage falling $.04 cents to $15.02 in
2010 inflation-adjusted dollars (9). This ranks Iowa 33rd in the
nation while regionally, falling right in the middle, beating
Kansas, Nebraska Indiana and South Dakota and lagging behind
Missouri, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin (9).
Transportation/Air QualityIn July 2010, ECIA assumed management
of the city of Dubuques transit system and has been busy seeking
funding to replace the entire fleet from diesel to clean fuel to
address the potential air quality concerns. The City recognizes
that a redesigned transit system is critical to the success of
their
13
1,048
808
684646
808
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
While the number of retirees can be somewhat hard for employers
to gauge as they look toward the future, Figure 24 presents the
annual estimated number of eligible retirees through 2013.
Recognizing that some employees will not retire the year that they
first become eligible, employers were asked not to double count
employees who were eligible to retire in subsequent years.
For example, an employee eligible to retire in 2009 that
continues to work is counted as an eligible retiree in 2009 but not
in 2010. This explains why the first year (2009) estimate is much
higher than in years that follow. This number also includes an
accumulation of employees who became eligible to retire prior to
2009 and are still employed. According to the survey, an average of
1.1 percent of the regions workforce becomes eligible for
retirement each year (737 divided by total employment of about
66,250 workers). Future analysis of trend data will help us
understand how many retirement eligible workers are remaining in
the workforce and for how long.
The future year estimates in subsequent reports will reflect
employees who did not retire in the year they actually were
eligible as they may choose to continue their employment because of
retention efforts by employers.
Figure 24 Estimate of Those Eligible to Retire
Est
imat
e of
Tho
se E
ligib
le to
Ret
ire
Year Eligible to Retire
Figure 25 shows the estimated percentage of potential worker
loss due to retirement by industry. In the next five years, there
will be a significant number of workers eligible for retirement
from the educational services, healthcare & social services,
manufacturing, and wholesale & retail trade industries.
Percent of Respondents
Educational Services 30.4%Healthcare & Social Services
25.9%Manufacturing 14.0%Wholesale & Retail Trade
6.5%Agriculture & Mining 5.4%Professional & Technical
Services 4.5%Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate 4.3%Construction
3.2%Public Administration 1.7%Transportation & Warehousing
1.5%Utilities 1.1%Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation
0.7%Accommodation & Food Services 0.5%Personal Services
0.1%Administrative & Waste Services 0.1%Information
0.1%Management *
Industry
* insufficient data reported
Figure 25 Retirement Eligibility by Industry
EducationalServices, All Manufacturing
PA
Healthcare & Social Services
14
Figure 28 shows how companies plan to fill vacant positions left
behind from those who have retired. Of those who reported, 33.4
percent plan to use a combination of hiring outside workers along
with promoting from within the company, 31.0 percent do not
currently plan on filling these positions, 29.1 percent plan only
to hire workers from outside the company, and 6.5 percent plan on
only promoting from within the company.
Replacing Vacancies Due to Retirements Percent
Combination of hiring outside workers and promoting from within
the company
33.4%
Not currently planning to fill these positions 31.0%Hire workers
from outside of the company 29.1%Promote employees from within the
company 6.5%
Figure 28 How Companies Plan to Replace Those Who Retire
Over three-fifths (61.9%) of employers indicated that they are
engaged in retiree retention efforts. Figure 27 details employer
responses regarding the strategies used to retain retirees. Nearly
half (45.6%) of the employers are offering retirees a flexible work
schedule; followed by increased wages and/or bonuses; a change in
duties/responsibilities to take away from repetitiveness in the
workplace; additional training to upgrade their skills; benefits to
part-time employees; more recognition for work done; seasonal work
schedules; benefits to retirees; and allowing telecommuting/working
from home.
Efforts to Keep/Attract Retirees Percent
Flexible work schedules 45.6%Increase wages and/or bonuses
39.4%Change in duties/responsibilites 21.9%Additional training
18.1%Benefits to part-time employees 17.5%More recognition
16.3%Seasonal work schedules 10.0%Benefits to retirees 6.9%Allow
telecommuting/working from home 5.0%Other 5.0%
Occupational CategoryPercent Affected by Retirements
Office & Administrative Support 43.1%Management
26.3%Production 19.4%Healthcare Practitioner & Technical
16.3%Sales & Related 11.9%Transportation & Material Moving
11.9%Business & Financial Operations 10.6%Installation,
Maintenance, & Repair 10.6%Education, Training, & Library
9.4%Construction & Extraction 6.9%Architecture &
Engineering 6.3%Food Preparation & Serving Related
5.6%Healthcare Support 5.6%Legal 3.8%Building & Grounds
Cleaning & Maintenance 3.1%Computer & Mathematical Science
2.5%Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Related
1.9%Community & Social Science 1.9%Farming, Fishing, &
Forestry 1.9%Protective Service 1.3%Life, Physical, & Social
Science 0.6%Personal Care & Service ** insufficient data
reported
Figure 26 Retirement Eligibility within each Occupational
Category
Figure 26 shows the percent of eligible retirement within each
occupational category. Office & administrative support is the
second largest occupational category among current vacancies
(16.8%) (Figure 2, page 2), but is the largest occupational
category among jobs potentially affected by retiring workers. While
food preparation & serving related occupations make up 8.0
percent of the regions current vacancies (Figure 2, page 2), they
are not significantly affected by workers potentially retiring
(5.6%). The occupational categories that will potentially be the
most affected are: office & administrative support; management;
production; and healthcare practitioner & technical.
Figure 27 Retiree Retention Efforts by Employers
12
measured in 2010, at $2.60/hour in Iowa and $2.97/hour
nationally. However, this appears to be largely due to a decline in
the earnings of men.
Figure 11. While Womens Wages have Risen, the Gender Wage Gap
Remains
Source: EPI/IPP analysis of Current Population Survey data.
Another important indicator of wage is the workers level of
education. The wage gain from attaining post-secondary education
has been on the rise in Iowa for generations, with only a slight
decline following the 2001 recession. In 2010, while a worker with
a bachelors degree or higher was earning a median wage of
$21.42/hour, a high school graduate was earning only $13.65/hour
(see Figure 12). That is a difference of $7.77/hour, or in other
words, a college graduate was earning a time and a half the wages
earned by a high-school graduate.
Figure 12. Education Pays
Median hourly wage in Iowa by education, in 2011 dollars*
Source: EPI/IPP analysis of Current Population Survey data.
*There were not enough cases of less-than-high school educated
workers for inclusion.
Gender Wage Gap in Iowa (9)
10
Table 1. Iowa Loses Jobs with High ESI Coverage Rates, Gains
Jobs with Low ESI Coverage
Loss of Employer-Sponsored Coverage, Thousands of Jobs
2001-02 numbers 2009-11 numbers Loss of ESI attributable to
ESI cov.
jobs ESI
cov.
jobs job less
total
Jun-01 2002 Jun-01 Jul-11 2009 Jul-11 losses coverage
Nat. Res. & Mining 2.2 78.4% 1.7 2 75.8% 1.5 -0.2 -0.1 -0.2
Construction 70.4 47.5% 33.4 63.7 44.0% 28.0 -3.2 -2.2 -5.4
Manufacturing 244.5 72.7% 177.8 206.2 69.6% 143.5 -27.8 -6.4 -34.2
Wholesale & Retail Trade 255.8 53.9% 137.9 241.6 50.5% 122.0
-7.7 -8.2 -15.9 Transp. & Utilities 57.4 66.9% 38.4 63.5 62.0%
39.4 4.1 -3.1 1.0 Information 37.8 73.0% 27.6 27.4 69.5% 19.0 -7.6
-1.0 -8.6 Financial Activities 93 65.8% 61.2 99.2 66.0% 65.5 4.1
0.2 4.3 Prof. & Bus. Services 109.1 57.4% 62.6 123.9 55.1% 68.3
8.5 -2.8 5.6 Educ. & Health Services 182 59.4% 108.1 216.1
57.1% 123.4 20.3 -5.0 15.3 Leisure & Hospitality 132.2 32.5%
43.0 137.8 26.3% 36.2 1.8 -8.5 -6.7
Other Services 57.4 40.1% 23.0 55.2 35.0% 19.3 -0.9 -2.8
-3.7
Private, nonfarm jobs 1241.8 1236.6 -8.6 -39.9 -48.5
Coverage rates from Elise Gould, EPI Briefing Paper #228 (Table
3). http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/bp283/
Job numbers from Economic Policy Institute analysis of Current
Employment Statistics survey data.
In this tumultuous decade spanning two recessions Iowas nonfarm
job base has been essentially flat (losing about 2,500 jobs).
Discounting a small growth in government employment, the private
nonfarm job base has lost about double that (5,200 jobs). But, as
Table 1 underscores, the loss of good jobs has been much more
pronounced. We have lost just under 50,000 jobs with health
coverage some of this total attributable to simple job losses, but
most attributable to declining rates of coverage in the jobs that
remain. These numbers, in turn, understate the impact of the
decline in ESI on health coverage since each covered job provides
health insurance to the employee and family members. Accordingly,
while the number of jobs offering health coverage fell by 48,500,
the number of Iowans losing job-based coverage since 2001 is double
that over 96,000 as of 2009.10
Wages
Although Iowa was spared the worst ravages of the recession, its
wage profile heading into the downturn was already weak. At the
median wage (half of all workers earn more, half earn less), Iowa
ranks fifth in the immediate region, and 33rd nationally, with a
median wage ($15.02) about a dollar less than the national median
(Table 2). Iowa was one of 10 states to see the real value of its
median wage actually fall since 2000, with much of
Table 2. Iowa Median Wages have Fallen from 2000
50th Percentile Wages by State by Year (2010 dollars)**
1980 1990 2000 2010
UNITED STATES $14.59 $14.65 $15.49 $16.00
regional nationalMinnesota $14.65 $15.09 $18.17 $17.54 1
11Wisconsin $15.15 $13.94 $15.49 $16.32 2 17Illinois $16.36 $16.03
$16.51 $16.21 3 19Missouri $13.84 $13.40 $15.77 $15.14 4 32Iowa
$14.25 $13.35 $15.06 $15.02 5 33
Kansas $13.70 $13.41 $14.73 $14.97 6 34Indiana $14.44 $13.42
$15.14 $14.91 7 38Nebraska $13.10 $12.36 $13.46 $14.81 8 40South
Dakota $11.66 $10.94 $13.71 $14.21 9 47
rank in 2010
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey data.
** Using CPI-U-RS. Note: wage levels down from 10 years earlier
are shown in red.
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sustainability efforts. Therefore an operational analysis was
completed in 2009 for the Keyline system which recommended a
complete re alignment of the fixed routes as well as incorporating
appropriate-sized vehicles and clean fuels technology. Within this
project there are two strategies that, when integrated, will create
a forward-reaching transit model for small urban systems across the
United States and will reduce our overall emissions of Oxides of
Nitrogen (NOX) by 23.08%, Particulate Matter (PM) by 89.62%,
Hydrocarbons (HC) by 86.92% and Carbon Monoxide (CO) by 48.46%
saving $15,276,042 (EPA: Diesel Emissions Quantifier) and improving
health by saving $546,000 in medical expenses (EPA: Diesel
Emissions Quantifier) over the duration (10 years) of the project
and will assist us in maintaining the National Ambient Air Quality
Standards for ozone and carbon monoxide. The subject of air quality
directly impacts business expansion and production capabilities,
and with the Dubuque Area being near the threshold for
non-attainment, DMATS, Prosperity Eastern Iowa, multiple private
businesses and other partners in the region have identified a
rideshare carpooling option as one method for reducing vehicle
miles traveled and corresponding carbon emissions.
Natural DisastersThe ECIA region is still recovering and
rebuilding from past flooding. Total damage in Iowa reached into
the billions of dollars with over 25,000 properties damaged in Iowa
and over 400 properties destroyed. Communities in the ECIA region
are still working with federal and state agencies in demolishing
and rebuilding homes. All of the region was effected but Cedar and
Delaware Counties were among the areas hit the hardest. ECIA is the
lead Council of Governments in Iowa to administer the emergency
grant funds.
While recovering from the devastating floods of 2008, another
round of flooding struck the region in May of 2010 and July of
2011. The following disaster declarations have impacted the region
in the past 5 years (4):
2007: Severe Winter Storm Disaster Declaration FEMA-1688-DR -
Cedar, Clinton and Jackson Counties
2008: Severe Winter Storm Disaster Declaration FEMA-1737-DR -
Cedar and Clinton Counties Severe Tornados and Flooding
FEMA-1763-DR - Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson
Counties
2010: Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes FEMA-1930-DR -
Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson Counties
2011: Severe Storms and Flooding FEMA-4018-DR - Dubuque and
Jackson Counties
A. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE STRATEGY INCLUDING OPPORTUNITIES
Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Economic Development
Division completed a business survey in early 2011 which shed some
light on the true educational attainment and occupational needs of
businesses in the county. The breakdown of respondents by industry
was: 18.6% manufacturing; 20.9% finance and insurance; and 16.3%
healthcare and social services. 23.3% of survey respondents employ
between 200-499 full-time positions. Some specific concerns
expressed by businesses were relating to the looming baby boom
generation retirements including the following: As more of our
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seasoned workforce begins to near retirement, our incoming
employees lack even the basic skill sets; we continue to upgrade
the level of technology on our manufacturing floor, but without
these basic skill sets we cannot begin to train employees to
replace the more technical positions we have. This is not
surprising considering that surveyed businesses cited their need
for qualified, technically skilled employees as their greatest need
in planning expansion. Based on the survey, the majority of
employers (87.5%) would hire an employee who has a high school
equivalent with a specialized training certificate in their
industry and 78% feel that experience can substitute for
education.
Iowa Workforce Development(IWD) completed a 2011 Regional
Workforce Needs Assessment. This tool provides employer information
regarding both their current level of employment and their current
and expected job vacancies. The survey provides excellent data for
the region regarding the demand for, and the skills required of
workers in the region. Some of the results are shown below;
68.8% of available jobs require no more than a high school
education and 52.4% of the jobs require no experience.
While the region has a large number of college graduates
(18,000) due to the high number of four-year educational
institutions, many of the employers have expressed a willingness
and desire to employ individuals with basic skills that do not
require a four-year degree such as workplace computing, project
management, analyzing data and information, communicating with
supervisors or subordinates, developing and working in teams, and
interacting with computers. There is a large demand from the
business community for specialized training in a variety of areas
and the niche for our regional efforts will lie in addressing these
issues while reengaging the unemployed and underemployed residents
in the community.
In addressing the workforce challenges, ECIA through its
Prosperity Eastern Iowa initiative continues to receive grant
funding to enhance its interactive web site targeting the 14-25
year old population, www. accessmyfuture.com. This website provides
information on high demand careers in the region as well as
resources for internships, job seeker tips, and entrepreneurship.
In addition to these efforts, members of Prosperity Eastern Iowa
are also collaborating with existing workforce initiatives in the
region. Many local economic development groups have initiated their
individual efforts for their communities and continue to address
location-specific workforce issues. Local firms have partnered with
the area colleges and community colleges in the region by
connecting students to internship programs funded by the local
companies. Companies in the region are also offering more flexible
work schedules, telecommuniting, incentives, etc. to attract and
retain employees.
5
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*
Experience Required Percent
No Experience Required 52.4%Less than 1 Year 9.0%1-2 Years
27.0%3-5 Years 9.0%More than 5 Years 2.6%
Education Required Percent
No Educational Requirement 24.7%High School Education/GED
44.1%Vocational/Technical Training 7.7%Associate Degree
6.9%Undergraduate Degree 13.0%Postgraduate/Professional Degree
3.6%
Employers were asked about the education/training and experience
requirements of prospective workers for their reported job
vacancies. The results for current job vacancies are shown below in
Figure 7 and Figure 8.
Figure 7 Education Required - Current Vacancies
Figure 8 Experience Required - Current Vacancies
Education, Experience, and Skill Requirements
A value of one is the average demand for all industries or
occupations. A value greater than one means a higher demand for
workers, while a value lower than one means a lower than average
demand for workers.
By comparing the Hiring Demand Index with the vacancy rates of
an occupational category, we can see in which occupations is there
a real unmet need for workers. It is also in these occupations that
employers will need to pay a higher wage to attract qualified
workers. This analysis can be an important tool for economic
developers, policy-makers, educators, and job seekers.
Figure 6 Hiring Demand Index by Occupational Category
* insufficient data reported
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Through the DubuqueWorks project, recently funded by EDA
technical assistance dollars, ECIA and other partner staff have
begun researching workforce models and reengagement strategies
throughout the United States. Most of these models have been
developed for larger urban metro areas. This project addresses the
need for additional research and planning to develop a workforce
model for small metro and rural areas to be replicated through the
larger ECIA region. The result of the project will be a completed
business and staffing plan for outreach, training and scholarships
for unemployed and underemployed to be enrolled in programs
preparing them for high demand occupations.
AccoladesIn 2009, Dubuque was ranked number three for job
creation by careerbuilder.com. In 2010, Forbes.com ranked Dubuque
number one in projected job growth as well as best small city to
raise a family. In 2008, Forbes.com ranked the Dubuque area at
number 18 on its Best Small Places for Business and Careers. In
2007 Dubuque finished 15th. The consecutive top 20 ranking though
is very positive for the region. In 2008, Milken Institute and
Greenstreet Partners ranked Dubuque 39th among 179 U.S. small
cities for their Best Performing Cities index. Dubuque soared 37
spots from last year besting allsmall metropolitan areas.
References:
(1) Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment
and Wages. 2006, 2009, 2010. Excel file.
(2) City of Dubuques Building and Permits Department and Dubuque
County Assessor. Total Commercial Construction Value. 2011. Excel
file.
(3) Dubuque Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Dubuque
Increases Tourism Impact to State of Iowa. 2011. PDF file.
(4) Federal Emergency Management Agency. Iowa Disaster History.
2011. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.
(5) Iowa Department of Economic Development. County Wage
Thresholds July 2010. 2010. Excel file.
(6) Iowa Workforce Development, Labor Market and Workforce
Information Division. Workforce Needs Assessment. 2011. PDF
file.
(7) Iowa Workforce Development. Monthly Labor Force Summary.
2011. PDF file.
(8) Iowa Workforce Information Network. County Laborforce Data.
2010, 2011. Excel file.
(9) OConnor, Noga, Colin Gordon, and Peter Fisher. The Iowa
Policy Project: The State of Working in Iowa 2011. 2011. PDf
file.
(10) Schulte, Grant. Iowa Population Shifts from Rural to Urban.
USA Today. 17 Feb. 2011. Web.
(11) US Census Bureau. Population Estimates. 2010. Excel
file.
(12) US Travel Association Research Department. The Economic
Impact of Travel on Iowa Counties. 2011. PDF file.
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B. Accomplishments Achieved, Quantifiable Deliverables,
Difficulties EncounteredBased on approved scope of work for January
1, 2010 to December 31, 2010
A. LOCAL GOVERNMENT MEETINGS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP
MEETINGS: ECIA staff regularly attends meetings of local
governments and local economic development groups to provide
information and facilitate program implementation. 1. ECIA
participates and sits on the Board of the Greater Dubuque
Development Corporation and regularly attends their meetings at
least quarterly. a. Accomplishments - GDDC has quarterly Board of
Directors meetings and ECIA staff attended all four meetings this
past year. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - ECIA attended all GDDC
Board meetings this past year and also participated in their
appointed DubuqueWorks committee addressing the employment needs in
the region. Additionally, through participating in these board
meetings, ECIA has been asked to participate in their workforce
recruitment efforts and their sustainability programs. c.
Difficulties - There were no difficulties with attending and
participating in the meetings. 2. ECIA staff regularly hosts and
participates in City Clerk meetings in Delaware and Dubuque
Counties and hosts two meetings a year of the regional city clerks.
a. Accomplishments - ECIA staff attended 8 City Clerk meetings this
past year in Delaware County and 4 meetings of the Dubuque County
City Clerks. ECIA prepared the agendas for the meetings. ECIA
hosted two region wide clerks meetings at our offices this past
year and organized the speakers and the agendas. b. Quantifiable
Deliverables - At the monthly Delaware and Dubuque County Clerks
meetings five to six clerks attend each month. Information sharing
and problem solving has been their main focus and these lunches
have been great networking opportunities to share their
experiences. The regional clerks meetings held twice per year had
overwhelming participation this past year with over 25 clerks from
the region attending each meeting. c. Difficulties - There were no
difficulties with this activity this past year. 3. ECIA staff
regularly attends and acts as the secretary for the Jackson County
Mayors. Meetings are held monthly in Jackson County. a.
Accomplishments - ECIA attended all 7 of the meetings this past
year for the Jackson County Mayors and acted as the secretary for
these meetings. The meetings focus on information sharing and
emergency management issues. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - The
Jackson County Mayors do not meet over the summer and have changed
to bi-monthly meeting rather than month so only 7 meetings were
held a this year and ECIA staff attended each meeting. On the
average 6 to 8 mayors and staff show up to these meetings. c.
Difficulties - There were no difficulties with this activity this
past year. 4. ECIA staff regularly participates in the RC&D
meetings. Meetings are held monthly in Jackson County. a.
Accomplishments - ECIA attended 12 RC&D meetings this past year
b. Quantifiable Deliverables - ECIA is working collaboratively with
the RC&D on a rural sewer project and continues to regularly
attend the RC&D monthly meetings. c. Difficulties - Last year
the RC&D Executive Director retired after many years leaving a
gap in the management of the RC&D with interim directors. This
had made it more difficult to collaborate with the RC&D. They
have now hired a new director and activities are running smoothly
again. 5. ECIA staff participates in two regional partnerships,
Riverlands Economic Development and the Tri-State Alliance. Both
entities focus on furthering economic development and
transportation related projects in the tri-state region of
Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. a. Accomplishments Staff participates
in bi-monthly phone conferences with Tri-State
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Alliance members and helped to coordinate website development
and an annual meeting for the Riverlands Economic Development
group. b. Quantifiable Deliverables Staff participates in
bi-monthly phone conferences. c. Difficulties Riverlands became
inactive in July 2010 due to retirements and staff cuts at Alliant
Energy, the main backer of the project. 6. ECIA will be holding
monthly Prosperity Eastern Iowa meetings with local economic
developers. a. Accomplishments Staff facilitates Prosperity Eastern
Iowa meetings and maintains their marketing materials and website.
b. Quantifiable Deliverables Staff facilitated 7 Prosperity Eastern
Iowa meetings. The group has decided to switch to bi-monthly
meetings and have technology training on the months that meetings
are not held. c. Difficulties There are no difficulties that exist
with this activity. 7. Complete the annual CEDS report for 2010 and
submit by 12/31/2010. a. Accomplishments Staff performed outreach
to member communities for data gathering. b. Quantifiable
Deliverables Staff completed the annual CEDS report for 2010. c.
Difficulties Finding accurate demographic data was difficult given
that the 2010 Census data is not available.
B. TRAINING AND CONFERENCE: Attend and participate in meetings
of national, state, and local organizations affecting regional
strategy policies and programs. 1. ECIA staff will continue to
participate in the annual trip of the Clinton and the Dubuque
communities to meet with federal officials concerning local needs.
Trips are scheduled for February and May, 2010. a. Accomplishments
- ECIA staff attended trips with Clinton and Dubuque to Washington,
D.C. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - One staff member went with the
City of Dubuque to Washington, D.C. in February, 2010 and
participated in the trip by giving two presentations to the staff
and legislators on employment and training needs as well as the
transportation needs for the region. One staff person attended with
the City of Clinton. c. Difficulties - Other than the costs
starting to creep up for participating in the events, there were no
difficulties encountered. 2. ECIA staff will attend the Iowa League
of Cities meeting. a. Accomplishments - Staff attended the Iowa
League of Cities Meeting b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Staff
attended one Iowa League meeting in September, 2010 and a budget
workshop in November. c. Difficulties - No difficulties were
encountered. These are good meetings for staff to network with our
member cities and to get updates on city related issues, 3. ECIA
staff will attend Iowa DNR meetings in Des Moines. a.
Accomplishments - ECIA staff attended the quarterly IDNR meetings
b. Quantifiable Deliverables - ECIA staff attended four meetings of
the IDNR this year. c. Difficulties - The meetings are useful to
attend but they are in Des Moines so it requires 3 hours of travel
each way for staff. It is time consuming. 4. ECIA staff will attend
regional meeting hosted by the EDA. a. Accomplishments - Staff
attended two meetings of the EDA this year. b. Quantifiable
Deliverables - Staff attended the EDA meeting in Denver this year
and found the meeting very useful with valuable information. c.
Difficulties - No difficulties were encountered. These meetings are
a great opportunity to network with EDA staff and other EDA
recipients. 5. ECIA staff will attend two national meetings -
either NADO, NARC, or the IEDC meetings. a. Accomplishments - Two
staff attended the NADO meeting this year and sent a Prosperity
Eastern Iowa member to the IEDC meeting.
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b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Two staff people attended the
NADO meeting in San Diego this past year and Prosperity Eastern
Iowa member attended IEDC in Ohio. Both meetings were very valuable
training tools and staff brought back valuable resources as well as
an Innovation award from NADO and a website award from IEDC, both
for two local economic development initiatives. c. Difficulties -
There were no difficulties encountered with this task. Due to cost,
it is generally too expensive to send more than one staff to each
meeting. 6. ECIA staff will attend training to become familiar with
green and sustainable business practices that can be introduced to
Buyer Supplier companies and member governments. a. Accomplishments
- Staff attended the national ICLEI Local Governments for
Sustainability conference in Washington DC and presented on ECIAs
sustainability programs. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Two staff
people attended the national ICLEI Local Governments for
Sustainability conference. c. Difficulties - There were no
difficulties encountered with this task.
C. INFORMATION DISSEMINATION: Disseminate census, economic,
statistical and program information by telephone, e-mail, letter,
newsletter, personal contact, and training programs. Maintain a
database for use in program development and implementation. 1. ECIA
staff prepares two full newsletters each year and two news alerts
which are disseminated to over 800 individuals and/or entities in
the region. a. Accomplishments - ECIA distributed newsletters
quarterly this year. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Two ECIA
newsalerts were distributed which is a shorter version of the full
newsletter. Two full newsletters were also distributed. Our mailing
list is over 800 people and businesses. c. Difficulties - To be
more green we tried an ECIA email alert but people indicated they
receive too many emails and appreciate a printed copy. So to save
costs, ECIA is using recycled paper now and also using only two
color for the ink. 2. ECIA staff maintains the websites for ECIA,
Prosperity Eastern Iowa, the Regional Transit Authority, and the
Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Authority/Corporation and the Eastern
Iowa Regional Utility Service Systems, Buyers Supplier Connection
and Accessmyfuture.com. a. Accomplishments Staff updated the ECIA
website and completed development of an intranet as a method of
improved sharing of department and staff news internally. The
design and programming of the AccessMyFuture.com website was
completed and updated information continues to be posted on this
and all agency websites. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - We began
tracking hits to all agency websites using google analytics which
allows us to see where the hits are generated as well as monitor
times of high and low traffic. The ECIA website currently receives
an average of 500 hits per month. c. Difficulties - The web sites
are not as up to date as they should be because staff continue to
be kept busy with day to day tasks. 3. ECIA staff will research and
begin utilizing social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to
integrate into the web sites we maintain as another resource to
disseminate information in the region. a. Accomplishments Staff
attended multiple presentations on social media held by local ad
firms. Staff also met with city of Dubuque staff to discuss
possible social media options for the public sector. b.
Quantifiable Deliverables - Staff attended four presentations on
social media held by local ad firms. Staff also met with city of
Dubuque staff twice to discuss possible social media options for
the public sector. c. Difficulties Due to staff constraints and
concerns about privacy and information security, we have decided
not to pursue social media at this time. 4. ECIA staff responds to
approximately 150-200 requests for information each year pertaining
to grant applications, TIF districts, enterprise zone, etc. a.
Accomplishments - Staff worked with one City on a TIF district.
Staff provided general information and answered general technical
assistance questions from various communities in the region.
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ECIA staff is a member of the Dubuque Enterprise Zone Commission
and participated in meetings, as needed, regarding new projects
this year. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Staff provided technical
assistance to one City regarding a TIF District for housing. Staff
responded to 200+ technical assistance/general information
questions from communities in the region with topics varying from
code enforcement, budgeting, zoning, land use, transportation, etc.
Four projects were approved through the Dubuque Enterprise Zone
Commission in which ECIA staff is a member. c. Difficulties
-Completing the TIF District was difficult because it was difficult
to obtain accurate information from the housing developer and
guidance from the City.
D. GRANT/LOAN APPLICATIONS: Assist local governments in the
preparation of grant/loan applications for funding of projects of
local and regional concern. 1. ECIA staff regularly prepare grant
applications and loan applications for CDBG projects such as water,
sewer, child care centers, etc. a. Accomplishments - ECIA worked
with six communities to submit CDBG applications. ECIA submitted
nine CDBG housing applications for down payment assistance and
homeowner rehab. Staff submitted three I-JOBS applications of which
one was funded. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - ECIA prepared six
CDBG applications and three were funded to local communities. ECIA
has signed contracts to administer the CDBG grants on behalf of the
communities. Two housing program applications were funded by IDED
and ECIA has contracted for the administration of these programs.
ECIA submitted nine CDBG housing applications for down payment
assistance and homeowner rehab. Staff submitted three I-JOBS
applications of which one was funded. c. Difficulties - There were
no unusual difficulties encountered. As usual with the CDBG program
for housing, community facility and public works, funding is always
limited compared to the number of applications. 2. ECIA staff
regularly prepare applications for Enterprise Zone and other State
economic development programs. a. Accomplishments - Enterprise zone
is covered in C above. Staff worked with the City of Clinton on
their Lincoinway Railport project. b. Quantifiable Deliverables -
None c. Difficulties - None 3. ECIA staff prepare Community
Attraction and Tourism grant applications for communities. We
anticipate 2 applications per year for this funding. a.
Accomplishments - ECIA staff provided general information about the
CAT program to member communities. b. Quantifiable Deliverables
ECIA staff met with one member community about the CAT program. c.
Difficulties The poor economy is hindering the number of viable CAT
applications due to the local match requirement. 4. ECIA staff
prepare grant and loan applications for the flood recovery efforts
in the region. ECIA will continue this work through 2010. a.
Accomplishments ECIA still receiving Jumpstart Funding Assistance
applications. Hazard Mitigation Grant Program applications and
Community Development Block Grants for Acquisitions have been
applied for and awarded. Residential properties were demolished
through the FEMA Public Assistance Demolition Program. A single
family new construction grant was received. b. Quantifiable
Deliverables - ECIA has received over 60 Jumpstart Funding
Assistance applications from individual flood victims and
applications are still being received. Three Hazard Mitigation
Grant Program applications and two Community Development Block
Grants for Acquisitions have been applied for and awarded including
62 residential properties, three commercial properties and one
governmental property. Eighteen residential properties were
demolished through the FEMA Public Assistance Demolition Program. A
single family new construction grant was received which provides
30%
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down payment assistance to 16 new residential structures within
the City of Dyersville. c. Difficulties Floods of 2010; red tape
and paperwork related to federal and state funding sources. 5. ECIA
staff will prepare grant applications for the city of Dubuque.
(Although this was not included in the original approved scope of
work, this is a very important activity, worthy of being reported.)
a. Accomplishments - Completed five Federal grant applications
including transit, smart planning , intermodal facility, and
transportation. Two Federal grants were funded to replace the
entire Keyline fleet. Total funding was $3.8 million for both
grants. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Five grant applications were
approved and $3.8 million in funding brought into the region. c.
Very tedious grant applications and highly competitive.
E. DATA CENTER: Collect data and program information on economic
development trends and conditions including finance, labor,
business development, industrial development, and the agricultural
economy. 1. ECIA maintains data for grants and reports which is
used in applications. a. Accomplishments - ECIA regularly collects
data in its transportation department for its mapping and model and
that information is readily available for staff to utilize in grant
and loan related applications. Data is collected as needed
utilizing the internet as a resource. b. Quantifiable Deliverables
- The grant and loan applications prepared for IDED, and CDBG all
utilize statistical data which ECIA maintains. c. Difficulties -
There were no difficulties experienced. The process for maintaining
the data for the Data Center is much different now as it was in the
past as the internet is the quickest and most reliable resource.
The internet make the process much more streamlined and available.
2. ECIA maintains the Location One Information System for the
region to track the available sites and buildings through the
Prosperity Eastern Iowa web site. This is updated on an ongoing
basis. a. Accomplishments Prosperity Eastern Iowa members are
responsible for updating their communitys buildings and sites, with
ECIA staff have providing technical assistance and updating of
region wide statistics and data. b. Quantifiable Deliverables All
communities in the Prosperity Eastern Iowa region have accurate
transportation and demographic data in their profiles. ECIA staff
have also assisted communities with developing site video tours to
be linked to the LOIS website. c. Difficulties The LOIS database
has undergone changes which make it less user-friendly. Staff have
passed along member community concerns to the entity managing the
website.F. DEVELOPMENT STUDIES: Assist local governments and
economic development entities in preparing Community Builder Plans
and strategic plans in the region. 1. ECIA staff will prepare
strategic plans for development groups, chambers or cities in the
upcoming year. a. Accomplishments - ECIA participated in the
preparation of one Strategic Planning/Goal Setting project. b.
Quantifiable Deliverables - ECIA participated in the preparation of
one Strategic Planning/Goal Setting project for an economic
development organization. c. Difficulties - No difficulties were
encountered.
G. EASTERN IOWA RURAL UTILITIES, INC.: Provide technical
assistance to local governments and coordinate with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Iowa Department of
Economic Development (IDED) in the efforts to administer the 28E
organization that provides water and sewer services to cities and
rural residents. 1. ECIA will continue to work with counties in the
region in the design and application phase for funding for
unsewered communities in the region. a. Accomplishments - 1)
Received funding commitment from USDA RD for one community, project
design is complete awaiting bids, 2) submitted USDA RD applications
for two additional
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communities, preliminary design and cost estimates are complete,
3) received city council approval to proceed with wastewater system
development in one additional city. b. Quantifiable Deliverables 1)
Received funding commitment from USDA RD for one community, 2)
submitted USDA RD applications for two additional communities c.
Difficulties - 1) project is on hold until SHPO issues are
resolved, 2) projects on hold as applications await available
funding from USDA. 2. ECIA expects two projects to receive funding
to move forward with final design and engineering in 2010. a.
Accomplishments 1) one project received funding with final design
and engineering complete, 2) another project has design 95%
complete and awaits USDA funding b. Quantifiable Deliverables 1)
one project received funding with final design and engineering
complete, 2) project plans are 95% complete c. Difficulties - 1)
SHPO issues delay the placing of project out to bid, 2) System
design is near completion project awaits land acquisition
resolution
H. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: Provide technical
assistance to local governments, development corporations, chambers
of commerce, businesses, and individuals, in the ongoing
implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.
ECIA has traditionally provided technical assistance to local
governments via a Manager of Government Relations and has extended
this to economic technical assistance. The association provides
technical expertise in financing and deal packaging. 1. ECIA will
assist with Tax Increment Financing in the region. a.
Accomplishments - One City assisted with TIF financing in the
region. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - One City (Clarence) was able
to utilize TIF financing for a housing projects in the region. c.
Difficulties - No difficulties were encountered. 2. ECIA will
assist in writing ordinances and in developing zoning plans. a.
Accomplishments - ECIA has one community that we are working a
zoning plan. The project involves zoning, GIS mapping and land use
planning. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - To date the contract was
signed for this project but we have not moved it forward because
the community is not ready yet. We were able to start some of the
GIS mapping for the project. c. Difficulties - Waiting on the okay
from the community to move forward. 3. ECIA will assist with RISE
applications for roadways in to business parks. a. Accomplishments
Two applications were approved by the DOT. b. Quantifiable
Deliverables - Dyersville Highway 20 West Industrial Park, and
Dubuque Industrial Center West, streets are built and open.
Dyersville has sold one lot and has a business and building on the
site. c. Difficulties No unusual difficulties occurred. 4. ECIA
will assist communities in preparing Urban Revitalization plans and
Urban Renewal Plans. a. Accomplishments - ECIA prepared Urban
Revitalization Plan for the Cities of New Vienna and Ryan. One
related to downtown revitalization/housing and the other to housing
alone. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Both plans were adopted by
the cities. In New Vienna a downtown building was demolished and
housing built to replace it. c. Difficulties - No unusual
difficulties occurred. 5. ECIA will assist with EPA, IDNR and IDED
Brownfield grant applications. a. Accomplishments Staff prepared
and submitted grant applications to EPA, IDNR and IDED. Cleanup
project complete. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Staff prepared and
submitted grant applications to EPA, IDNR and IDED. Cleanup project
complete. c. Difficulties - No unusual difficulties occurred. 6.
ECIA staff will continue to assist small communities under 500
population with utility billing and
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accounting services. a. Accomplishments There are currently 13
communities using the service. b. Quantifiable Deliverables To
date, 13 communities are using the service. c. Difficulties - No
unusual difficulties occurred. 7. ECIA staff through the Prosperity
Eastern Iowa entity will continue to provide expertise in web page
design and developing and submitting responses to leads and
inquiries in the region. a. Accomplishments - Staff worked with
Prosperity Eastern Iowa members to prepare maps, demographic
information, and/or complete project proposals for ten leads. b.
Quantifiable Deliverables - Staff prepared components or complete
project proposals for ten leads. c. Difficulties - Some of the
smaller communities do not have high quality maps of their
industrial parks and other available sites and buildings which
makes them less competitive. Staff have been working with
individual communities to improve the quality of their materials,
but it is very time consuming.
I. PROSPERITY EASTERN IOWA COLLABORATIVE MARKETING: Administer
and conduct the activities identified by the Prosperity Eastern
Iowa Economic Development Partnership to further business retention
and expansion in ECIAs three of ECIAs Counties, Dubuque, Delaware,
Jackson and then Jones County. Key projects and activities that
will be conducted include: 1. ECIA implemented the local industry
business retention and expansion program known as InfoAction. a.
Accomplishments - Each economic developer is responsible for their
own retention program and calling on local businesses. As a group,
the economic developers decided that ECIA staff should focus on
marketing the regional entity and not be concerned about the
business retention program. Each economic developer will continue
their retention efforts locally and will use PEI as a networking
vehicle to discuss their successes, issues or obstacles in making
those important business retention calls. b. Quantifiable
Deliverables - Each economic developer in the region is making
annual calls on their businesses and using the State sponsored
Sychronist software. This is no longer a focus or priority for ECIA
staff as part of the PEI ongoing activities. c. Difficulties - No
difficulties have been encountered. It was a mutual decision that
this is no longer a priority for ECIA staff but remains a very
important priority and task for the economic developers
individually in the region. 2. Continual update of the regional
website, Accessmyfuture.com and Buyer Supplier Connection web
sites. a. Accomplishments - The regional marketing website is in
the process of being updated with new branding and demographic
data. AccessMyFuture.com continues to be updated by staff and
partner organizations. The Buyer Supplier website recently received
a facelift and improvements to usability, data gathering, and RFP
posting have been made. b. Quantifiable Deliverables three websites
have been maintained by staff, with updating completed as needed.
c. Difficulties - None at this time. 3. Continue to seek partners
and raise funds for the Prosperity efforts. a. Accomplishments -
Staff continues to research funding sources for Prosperity Eastern
Iowa efforts and have been successful at receiving funds from the
Iowa Department of Economic development as well as recruiting new
partners for the Buyer Supplier program which increases membership
income. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Staff received grant funds
from the Iowa Department of Economic Development and membership
fees from the Northeast Iowa Business Network for inclusion in the
Buyer Supplier program. c. Difficulties - Budgets are tight for
local economic development groups and at the state level which
makes the grant process more competitive and maintaining membership
a concern. 4. Continue development of the interactive web site
focusing on workforce and workforce recruitment in the region known
as Accessmyfuture.com
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a. Accomplishments - Staff continue to partner with the Dubuque
Area Labor Management Council to update and market the
AccessMyFuture.com website. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - The
Dubuque Area Labor Management Council has produced and posted 2
additional publications on the website; one focused on healthcare
careers and the other on IT opportunities. An interactive
entrepreneurship component has been developed by ECIA staff and was
recently added. c. Difficulties - Workforce needs are constantly
changing and our teenage audience is fickle, so keeping the site up
to date and interesting can be challenging. 5. Promote the ECO-EI
program for Prosperity Eastern Iowa promoting and providing
information to our member governments on green and sustainable
practices that can be incorporated into their daily business
practices. a. Accomplishments - The Petal Project received
recognition as an Innovative Sustainability program from the
National Association of Development Organizations and has assisted
ten businesses in the community with improving and greening their
daily business practices. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Ten
businesses in the community are either in the process of or have
completed the Petal project green business certification. c.
Difficulties - No issues at this time. 6. Promote the
sustainability plan for the region, Petal Project, focusing on the
Buyer Supplier companies in finding green strategies for companies
to incorporate into their business practices. a. Accomplishments -
The Petal Project has assisted ten businesses in the community with
improving and greening their daily business practices. The program
is working to partner with local chambers of commerce to offer
lunch & learn sessions with businesses that have completed the
program. b. Quantifiable Deliverables - Ten businesses in the
community are either in the process of or have completed the Petal
project green business certification. c. Difficulties - No issues
at this time. C. Community and Private Sector Participation and
ECIA Governing Board
Community input is critical to the CEDS planning process. An
outline of the process follows:
A survey is conducted with member cities and counties within
ECIA's five-county region to determine their priorities and
economic development plans for the upcoming year. Responses are
then compiled and prioritized by the CEDS Planning Committee.
ECIA staff meets with the region's Economic Development leaders
to receive their input. ED Roundtable discussions through
Prosperity Eastern Iowa occur every other month with Executive
Committee meetings monthly. The group meets every other month and
discusses projects, strategies, and shares resources. They also
review and discuss the CEDS priorities as well as progress in
meeting the priorities.
ECIA publishes notices in the five-county region in the official
county newspapers regarding the CEDS planning process indicating a
comment period to receive comments from the public. The planning
committee then meets to receive and discuss the community
input.
Comments are received from the ECIA Council.
The CEDS document is approved by the CEDS Committee, the
Executive Committee, and the ECIA Council.
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The CEDS document is reviewed by the Committee on an annual
basis and information is provided to the EDA in the form of an
annual report.
The prioritized goals and objectives are a reflection of the
efforts of the CEDS Committee as well as input received from the
citizens of the region identifying the economic goals for the next
five years. The committee recommended and the ECIA Council
concurred that the four goals identified are all of highest
priority, therefore are all ranked at the same level. These goals
are linked to improving the limitations within the region as well
as building and expanding upon our opportunities.
The CEDS Planning Committee is comprised of representatives from
various segments of the region. The committee represents all major
interest groups providing viewpoints that give a well-balanced
perspective for the region. The trends, opportunities, and
limitations affecting the economic growth of the region have been
identified and related to the trends of the national and global
market. The mission/ vision and goals of ECIA have been adopted and
used as the vision for the CEDS process. The mission/ vision is
used as the foundation to build upon when developing goals and
strategies for the region.
The committee composition, the community input, and the process
for the analysis and formulation of this document have remained the
same and can be found on the following pages. CEDS Planning
Committee Work Program
Work Item/Task Responsible Party TimetableEstablish Goals CEDS
Planning Committee Annually, by June 30 ECIA Council
Establish Priorities CEDS Planning Committee Annually, by June
30 ECIA Council
Collect Data ECIA Staff Ongoing, annually complete by October
30
Receive Community Input ECIA Staff Ongoing, annually receive
comments by October 15
Analyze Information/Comments ECIA Staff Annually, by November
30
Identify Strategies CEDS Planning Committee Annually, by
December 15
Prepare Implementation Plans ECIA Staff Annually, by December
15
Identify Opportunities and Limitations CEDS Planning Committee
Annually, by December 15
Report Progress ECIA Staff Annually, by December 15
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Prepare Annual Report ECIA Staff Annually, by December 15
Prepare Five-Year CEDS ECIA Staff, in cooperation with CEDS
Planning Committee and ECIA Council
The ECIA Council is the jurisdiction giving the official
approval of the CEDS document. The ECIA Executive Director is
ultimately responsible for reporting on the progress of the program
and its results.
*As adopted by the ECIA Council, July 2003 Updated October
2008
Section 3Evaluation
As indicated in the attached implementation charts, the
activities in the region supporting the goals and objectives have
been numerous. The job growth for the region has been positive,
surpassing other areas in the State of Iowa. A key to the success
of the region and to the progress of these many activities is
partnerships. Private and public partnerships have been developed
to implement many of the projects, especially the larger scale
projects. Without these partnerships, the region would not
experience such success. ECIA has acted as a liaison in these
public/private partnerships and has worked behind the scenes on
grant applications, general technical assistance, and in many
cases, provided financing through our loan programs. The charts
attached depict the success of the region and the effectiveness of
implementing the CEDS goals and objectives.
Section 4Schedule Including Implementation/Plan of Action
See SpreadsheetsBased on the analysis and the goals/objectives
established, an implementation schedule of activities was developed
as well as an evaluation tool for each activity. The implementation
schedule is evaluated annually through the CEDS annual reporting
process. The activities on the following pages are categorized
within each of the goals and are listed by county within the
region, and resources are identified. The CEDS committee annually
reviews the CEDS process to determine the effectiveness of the
implementation plan, reporting process, and the evaluation plan. In
the following Implementation and Evaluation Report, notice that the
projects in BOLD type have been completed over the past year, and
projects that have either been added or adjusted are noted in RED
type.
Based on the progress of the activities, assumptions can be made
for the economic future of the region. This 2010 Annual Report
reflects a great deal of activity in the Improvement of Basic
Public Works goal with many projects completed, under construction,
or near completion during calendar year 2010. This report also
illustrates the positive job growth in the region with an overall
net gain of 1,043 jobs in 2010. Locally the economy has remained
strong.
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REPORT ON 2010 GRANT ACTIVITIES
Prioritized Goals and Objectives*as reported in the 2009-2014
CEDS
Increase/Expand the Economic Segments in the Region Prepare and
plan for the expansion and creation of industrial parks Encourage
the location and expansion of manufacturing industries Encourage
the expansion of the tourism/recreation and service industries
Encourage the location and expansion of technology related
industries Encourage the location of wind, solar, and alternative
fuel industries Encourage the creation and expansion of industries
that promote the use of agricultural products Encourage small and
minority owned business startups Encourage entrepreneurship
Encourage the retention and expansion of existing employers
Encourage the location and expansion of current telephony
technology and broadband technology systems Promote the improvement
of highway, rail, airport, and river transportation Improve
infrastructure and maximize existing resources Promote and
encourage companies in the region to buy and supply regionally
Encourage partnerships and marketing as a region, not
individually
Create a Skilled, Highly Educated, Permanent, Full-Time
Workforce for Business and Industry Maintain and create new
partnerships in the region Connect business and industry with
employment and training programs Collaborate regionally to address
employers workforce needs Promote programs to encourage high school
and college age students to explore career paths in the region such
as utilizing the career readiness program and/or the career based
website, accessmyfuture.com Encourage employers to utilize local
and regional websites for posting open positions within their
company such as accessdubuquejobs.com Encourage the creation of
green jobs in the region
Facilitate the Improvement and Maintenance of the Housing Stock
and Housing Supply in the Region Encourage the construction of
affordable housing development Encourage the reuse and
redevelopment of vacant existing properties in the region
converting to housing stock Encourage homeownership opportunities
Encourage regional rental collaboration for multiple housing unit
listings
Promote Improvement of Basic Public Works Facilities and
Community Services which Improve the Publics Health, Safety, and
Living Conditions Disseminate information on available funding
resources Encourage partnerships in the region Encourage the use of
EIRUSS for small communities and unincorporated areas in the region
Encourage the use of sustainable and green concepts in the
development of water, sewer, housing and community facility
projects
Promote and encourage sustainability throughout the region
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Collaborate regionally to create ECO-EI building on the
Sustainable Dubuque program Create a regional economy with
opportunities for new green markets, jobs, products, and services
Encourage energy conservation Encourage recycling Encourage
community design and reuse which contributes to identity, heritage
and sense of place Encourage environmental integrity through
healthy air, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing health
risks
Schedule - 2011 Proposed Scope of WorkEDA Planning funds will
support the implementation of an Economic Planning program designed
to create and retain jobs throughout the region. A five-year
Economic Development Strategy was adopted in 2009 for the region
and runs through 2014. This is the second year of our five-year
CEDS for 2010-2014. We will begin working with the CEDS Strategy
Committee on the initial steps to prepare the CEDS for 2011. In
addition to that we will be performing the following
activities:
A. LOCAL GOVERNMENT MEETINGS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP
MEETINGS: ECIA staff regularly attends meetings of local
governments and local economic development groups to provide
information and facilitate program implementation. 1. ECIA
participates and sits on the Board of the Greater Dubuque
Development Corporation and regularly attends their meetings at
least quarterly. 2. ECIA staff regularly hosts and participates in
City Clerk meetings in Delaware and Dubuque Counties and hosts two
meetings a year of the regional city clerks. 3. ECIA staff
regularly attends and acts as the secretary for the Jackson County
Mayors. Meetings are held monthly in Jackson County. 4. ECIA staff
regularly participates in the RC&D meetings. Meetings are held
monthly in Jackson County. 5. ECIA staff participates in the
Tri-State Alliance regional partnership. The entity focuses on
furthering economic development and transportation in the tri-state
region of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. 6. ECIA will be holding
monthly Prosperity Eastern Iowa meetings with local economic
developers. 7. ECIA staff participates and sits on the Enterprise
Zone Committee for the City of Dubuque. The committee meets as
needed to review and approve economic development related proposals
seeking enterprise zone benefits in the City of Dubuque. 8. ECIA
staff participates and sits on the Green Jobs Training program
oversight Committee and ECIA Business Growth, Inc. was the lead
applicant for the grant program. This is a partnership with
Northeast Iowa Community College, Iowa Workforce Development, Four
Mounds, and the City of
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Dubuque to provide green job training and opportunities to job
seekers in the region. 9. Complete the annual CEDS report for 2011
and submit by 12/31/2011. B. TRAINING AND CONFERENCE: Attend and
participate in meetings of national, state, and local organizations
affecting regional strategy policies and programs. 1. ECIA staff
will continue to participate in the annual trip of the Clinton and
the Dubuque communities to meet with federal officials concerning
local needs. Trips are scheduled for February and May, 2011. 2.
ECIA staff will attend the Iowa League of Cities meeting. 3. ECIA
staff will attend Iowa DNR meetings in Des Moines. 4. ECIA staff
will attend regional meeting hosted by the EDA. 5. ECIA staff will
attend two national meetings - either NADO, NARC, or the IEDC
meetings. 6. ECIA staff will attend training to become familiar
with green and sustainable business practices that can be
introduced to Buyer Supplier companies and member governments.C.
INFORMATION DISSEMINATION: Disseminate census, economic,
statistical and program information by telephone, e-mail, letter,
newsletter, personal contact, and training programs. Maintain a
database for use in program development and implementation. 1. ECIA
staff prepares two full newsletters each year and two news alerts
which are disseminated to over 800 individuals and/or entities in
the region. 2. ECIA staff maintains the websites for ECIA,
Prosperity Eastern Iowa, the Regional Transit Authority, and the
Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Authority/Corporation and the Eastern
Iowa Regional Utility Service Systems, Buyers Supplier Connection,
Petal Project, Dubuque Metropolitan Transportation Study, and
Accessmyfuture.com. The Petal Project is a new web site that staff
developed and will continue to develop and maintain as part of our
regional economic development activities. 3. ECIA staff responds to
approximately 150-200 requests for information each year pertaining
to grant applications, TIF districts, enterprise zone, etc.D.
GRANT/LOAN APPLICATIONS: Assist local governm