ceds 2011 narrative

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

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy2

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


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.


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


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


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


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


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)


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


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


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

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1,048

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684646

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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

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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.


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


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.

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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

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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.


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.


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.


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%


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


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


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


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.


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


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.


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


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


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

ceds 2011 narrative

Documents

economic development

development corporations

comprehensive planning

business growth

grant administration

local needsprepared

local governments

local communities