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Our

Here are some bills sponsored by western

Nebraska state senators

I t's tough to cover the Nebraska Legislature from the other end of the state. The Associated Press, the traditional sources

of information for newspapers such as the Star- Herald, has curtailed much of its coverage, offer- ing littila more than summaries. We have access to Omaha World-Herald s:,tsies through a part- nership agreement, but it's urban interests don't always mesh with those of western readers. We've allowed our three regional lawmakers - Sens. John Harms, LeRoy Louden and Ken Schilz - to offer their own takc on legislative business on our Opinion pages.

This week we're grateful to the Nebraska-based Center for Rural Affairs, which offers a summary of bills that it's following. We've borrowed part of its list to give readers a look at what our senators are woriing or . - - -

- For thee untamiliar wi& basic leyisiaiive pro- cedure, committees can Send a bill as introduced to the full Legislature for fieneral File, send to General File with amendq~ents, Indefinitely Post- pone (or kill) the bill, or hold the bill over to the 2010 session . Once a bill is sent to the full Leg- islature out of corIImittee, it faces three stages of debate - General File, Select File and Final Reading. At the General F1ile and Select File stages a bill can be amenbod; a bill cannot be amended at the Final Reading stage.

Interested readers can discuss the following bills with state senators as they hold hearings in their districts. You can also track the progress of bills through the Legislature's Web site: http://www.nebraskalegislature.govl

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Agriculture LB 447 (Schilz) - Adjudts the net worth

amount in the definition of beginning farmer or livestock producer for the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit by the annual consumer and producer prices indexes. Awaiting action on Genelal File.

Rural Development LB 298 (Harms) - Appropriates $250,000 in

FY09-10 and $150,000 in FYI 0-11 to the Depart- ment of Economic Development Community and Rural Development Program to "devel~p market access strategies and implement sustainable economic solutions to enhance Nebraska's small businesses and entrepreneurs ... to assist pro- grams providing such services." Also provides

- declining appropriations for the same purposes thrbugh FY 13-1 4. Awaiting action by the Appro- priations Committee.

LB 657 (Harms) - Modifies the Microenterprise Development Act by eliminating the Department of Economic Development as the coordinating of- fice of microenterprise development in favor a private, nonprofit organization. Also eliminates reference to the Microenterprise Development Cash Fund. Awaiting action 9n General File.

Health Care LB 656 (Harms) - The Health Care Accessibili-

ty and Affordability Act. Creates the Health Care Advisory Council to develop recommendations to the Governor and Legislature for legislation in the 201 1 session. Awaiting action by the Health and Human Services Committee. Support

Energy LB 565 (Louden) - The Woody Biomass Act

that creates a $2.5 million revolving fund for loans to fund projects for building conversions. Awaiting action by the Natural Resources Com- mittee.

LB 641 (Schilz) - Provides incentives to those - who create biodiesel using new technologies

and/or non food feedstocks. Awaiting action by tho bnrir~ ~I t l ~ r b Pnmmittaa

956 West Powt, Nebraska

Wednesday, Apr~l 1,2009 Our 139thYear Issue No 22 Publ~catlon Number 675783 Local - 3 sections, 30 Dzses

1 Out of Area - 2 sections, labages

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ide effort urged r economic deve opmen.~ a

There are still obstacles to overcome, tor for Burt Coiinty. Carro!i Welte. She was ceed in a county, noting that strong leader- ment focuses on three priorities: business but Cuming County took the first step in a instnlrnental ia helping to develop a county- ship must be at the top and strong commu- retention and expansion; recruiting new possible countywide economic development wide econni?iic developmefit effort in Burt nity development in the middle. The base is businesses and jobs: and entrepreneurship. effort this week. County. That office has been in operation the actual economic development.

Fifteen representatives of the four county for neariy six years. Defining the difference between eco- Comparative Models municipalities joined county officials at a A f er hearing from those at the meeting, nornic and community development, she Welte said a good starting point would meeting in Wisner last week to take a look Welte drew [he folioiving i:onclusions about said economic deveiopment deals with busi- be to identify a quality model to follow. at a countywide economic development Culning Count) : there is an abundance of nesses and job creation, while community She and others with economic development effort. pride; the count) and municipalities are development deals with infrastructures. experience agreed that Valley County is one

In theory, that would include the hiring progreiiiii-e: it is a c ,~ i l~ l ty :hat is wiliing to "Just hearing from those here in atten- of the best models in Nebraska. of an economic development director and work ar!d givz: qtlaliry inf::rstructures are dance, I'd say the leadership and commu- "Right now, Valley County, or Ord, is setting up a county economic development in place rhro:rghoi!t ?Ile conimunities; and a nity development areas of the pyramid are on most radar screens," Welte said. "Let's office, most likely at the Cuming County solid ecunoi!~ic resource is illready in place covered. All that's left is figuring out how remember, though, this is all current. Ord Courthouse in West Point. and spearheaded by the livestock industry. to get to the economic development base," wasn't the model system in the past, nor

Facilitating Thursday's meeting was Welte identified the pyramid that must be Welte said. University of Nebraska Extension Educa- ir? place for econornic deveiopment to suc- In general, regional economic develop- See ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, page 3

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Cont inuedp~m front page

does it mean another county couldn't sur- pass them, like say a Cuming County."

Ord is one of 2: current Nebraska cities designated as Nebraska Eccmomic Devel- opment Certified. Others in the immediate area that are certified are Norfolk, Wayne, South Sioux City. Fremont, and Wahoo.

Benefits of becoming certified are that it indicates a communitj is strongly posi- tioned for economic development and is out there malung contacts.

Cuming County is not eligible to become certified. Each community in the county is eligible. but each must overcome certain obstacles.

Welte said the structure of a county- wide econonlic develop~nent effort depends greatly on the economic develop- ment that is present within its communi- ties and infrastructures. She said those resources must stay in place, even If a countywide effort is in place.

"Some of our bea resource points for economic development are our public power districts and tel~communica- tion centers already in place," she said. "Within our cities You mill find plent)

of complirnentary sour;:es for ec-~narnic development," said Weite

Going around the rocrr-i!. thcrie i i~ at- tendance identified several coinplimentaq- sources: Cuming County i'isitors Bureau, city councils and village boards. West Point Development Corpora~ion, Wis- ner Cornrn~unity Development. Beemer Economic Develop~nel~t Corporation, Bancroft Betterment, the cou~~t!' board of supervisors. 8ortht;ast Community College, the Center f o r Rura! Xffai~'s: the Northeast Nebraska Ecc:n~in?ic Develop- ment District, the Louis and Abby Fa:,,e Dinklage Found>.tion. a:lci several ng iend- ing institutions.

Advantages no a Count?wide Effort A countywide ri:nnon:ic delopi?~e~>t

effort has adv:~ntast:s over singfe cornma- nity efforts. We!te said. Il;\iead of listilig them she asked those present to name some possible advar:tage.

Among those identilled were: a 1:noiing of resources, one per5on 1x-eserlt ;(\ j?uli all the communities together. a cost-eifec- tivel~ess. more ears mi. there :.r- iisteli. a clearing house i ~ : piace. ij:rreast..l pi~liti- cal clout, more p n t t f~.lndir,:. fcr scgional

efforts, exponenrial power of a bigger yroup, and strong Web site potential. The issue of commumty Web qites. was said to be paramount to any developmerit efforts.

"Your Web sites are criticaj. It has to be current. 'The whole issue of marketing can he done with an effective Web s~te,' Welte s a ~ d .

Representatives from three of the four communities said help was needed in the area of Web sites. West Point's slte was identified as "very powerful."

Concerns Concerns of the different communities

were also addressed at the meeting At the forefront, Welte said. is the fact

that all interested parties have to buy into the concept for it to be successful.

One thing each communitj has to over- come is the feeling of resentment when different investments are made in another to\tln. An understanding that development within the county, no matter what cortlmu- rlity it is happening in, is beneficial to each community.

Along the same lines are the resent- ments that the bigger communities get e v e ~ t h m g . According to Welte, "that's

better than no one in the county getting it.'.

The legal structure of anything county- wide is another concern.

Another major concern is funding. Representatives of the City of West Point and the West Polnt Chamber of Commerce had one such funding concern.

Currently, the City of West Point helps fund a portion of the Chamber's eco- nomic de\lelopment efforts. Questions about what might happen to those city dollars going to the Chamber should a countywide economic development effort get started are something they would have ;o address.

How Much Does It Cost A question at the top of most attendee's

lists Thursday was, what would it cost to support a countywide venture.

Welte said Burt County figures show that it costs about $70,000 to $75,000 annually to run its economic development office. Burt County pays the first $24,000. and the different municipalities support the remaining costs on a per capita basis.

A siniilar structure was talked about for Cu~ning C O U I I ~ ~ , although some felt

the county's i~~heritanc? t . n fund i;ii:he be able to support a good sharc of rhe annual cost.

According to one represei~tative of the Wisner Community Development. the funding part is "the.tnost exhausting part of economic development."

Knowing how the office would be funded is one of the crucia! initial stem for the group.

"First, you need to h n ~ e a vision aiid the support to back this vision," Welte said. "Then it's irnportaiit ti? !ock in the financial support."

It was decided to form a committee that will present tiic concept to the ciift'ercnl. entities involvecl I C see if the support ex- ists to continue e-ipioring a county\victe econon?ic dcvelopnxent ei'Pon.

An explorarc-)rj cornrnittee w ~ a s set up and includes: Bruce Sciilecht. City o t West Point: Larry Rcckelmzn. Cjty of the Wisner: Doug C~eftens~neirr. Village of Beemer: Jor; C'eni?,. i7iliage of B':ncmi';: Elwood Moore, Cuming County I-2lblic Poiver District: ?.l;~?k Knobbe. West Point Industrial De\ elog:;;er!t Bor?rd: and Steve Sill, Cumir:!; Ciwni!;. 'Fiiose appointnlents are tentat!\ r. l t l i i l ~ ' i f ~ d i ~ ~!l:'ilge.

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p TER for - RURAL AFFAIRS

Values. Worth. Action.

'Public Health Insurance Plans' By John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org, Center for Rural Affairs

Viable health care reform legislation should strengthen public programs that many rural people depend upon. The inclusion of a public health insur- ance plan in reform legislation would provide needed competition to private plans and address many of the health care challenges faced by rural Nebras- kans.

With a population that is older, poorer and with less employer-based health insurance coverage, nearly one-third more rural than urban people are cov- ered by public health care programs such as SCHIP, Medicare and Medicaid. Rural, non-elderly individuals covered by public plans have increased by nearly 122 percent since 1987.

Some health care reform proposals would offer tax credits to help pur- chase private insurance and address health insurance cost and accessibil- ity. However, research has shown that using tax credits to purchase private insurance is not cost effective. Estimates from a national model show tax crdits cost between $2.36 and $12.98 pel dollar of insurance provided. The .

cost of expanding public health programs ranges from $1.17 to $1.33 per ' :

dollar of insurance value provided. Public insurance has pioncered payment and quality-improvement meth-

ods that both control costs and improve the quality of care. Medicare, for example, had about 60 percent less spending per enrollee than private insur- ance between 1997 and 2006.

The strengths of public health insurance plans are what many rural people and businesses need - stability and controlled costs while providing health insurance access to vulnerable populations like low and moderate-income families, small business employers and their employees, farmers, ranchers and other self-employed rural residents.

The Center for Rural Affairs was established irz 1973 as an unafJiliated nonprojt corporation under IRS code 501 (c)3. The Center for Rural Affairs was formed by rural Nebrask(~ns concerned about family farms and rural communities, and we work to strengthen st?iall businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communi!ies.

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Guest Opinion Effective emergency medical

( services crucial to rural Communities By Elisha Greeley Smith CENTER FOR RURAL AFFAIRS

What k i od of health care system makes one of its most important rural COITI- ponents dependent upon bake sales and calendars for operating resources? Unfor- tunately. that is the situation in many rural places for their first-line and often life- saving emergency medical services (EMS). Many rural EMS providers are under- funded and face workforce and volunteer shortages. EMS agencies have placed growing demands and health care responsibilities on their often volunteer workforces.

According to the Nation-

a1 Conference of State Leg- islatures, many EMS providers have inadequate con~munications infrastruc- ture and are often isolated from the rest of the health care delivery system. A major example is the lack of access EMS providers have to medical records and med- ical history, something health information technolo- gy could potentially resolve if EMS providers were able to obtain the resources to connect with other rural providers.

Lack of integration is another EMS issue. Making EMS a true part of the rural health care system will pro- vide a more efficient system that provides better care for patients. EMS agencies are

often served by transporta- tion programs. Being seen as transporters rather than health care providers does not integrate EMS into the larger health care delivery system.

Health care reform legis- lation can recognize the important role EMS providers and services pro- vide in rural communities, particularly by recognizing EMS as the first-line for many in the rural health care delivery system and by pro- viding resources to such services for enhanced com- munication technology and access to health information technology.

For more visit informa- tion: www.clra.org

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Citizens can cause change Workshop offers helpfor rural areas

Don't underestimate the power of citi- bying and how to effectively communicate zenry. with media.

hat one was oneof themessages delivered by the director of the Center for Rural Affairs Friday morning in Gothenburg.

At a rural policy and leadership training workshop at Walker's Steakhouse &Lounge, CFRA director Chuck Hassebrook told 14 Gothenburg andarea participants that elected representatives look for guidance on issues from their constituency.

If citizens are not involved. Hassebrooksaid a void is created and government becomes more responsive to money and selfish inter- ests.

CFKA offers training sessions to show people-on the grass roots level-how they can effectively participate in the decision- making process.

"The most important thing is keeping democracy active by the interaction of its citizens," Hassebrook said.

In addition to talking about legislation before the Unicameral that impacts rural Nebraska, participants learned tips on lob-

3 Help for rural Nebraskans Hassebrookalso highlighted programs that

help rural businesses and entrepreneurs. They include: I the Nebraska Advantage Microenter-

prise Tax Credit Act that provides persons actively involved in small businesses a re- fundable individual income tax credit based on demonstrated growth of their business over two tax years.

The act has $2 million available for each calendar year through December 31,2010, to provide tax credits to appl~cants for creating or expanding microbusinesses.

A billin thestate legislaturewould increase the $2million limit to$3to$4millionannually over the next biennum.

Hassebrook said the tax credit car1 he accessed by owner-operated businesses with up to five employees and is available

See H CHANGE on next page

ELIZABETH BARRETl

HOW YOU DO 11 Chuck Hassebrook, direc- tor of the Center for Rural Affairs, tells workshop participants atwalker's Steakhouse & Lounge how to effectively lobby politicians.

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Tjitlzens need to become involved in government to beginn~ng farmers. Il the Value-Added Producer

Grant Program that helps pro- ducers move into value-added agricultural enterprises.

Hassebrooksaid value-added grants havehelped farmersgrow organic crops, develop ethanol plants, tourism ventures and more. I the Building Entrepreneur-

ial Communities Act supports economically distressed rural ar- eas of the state through grants.

The program is funded at $500,00Operfiscal year and shall not exceed $75.000 per project.

Rural voices needed With the slowdown of the

ecmorny, he said it's a critical time to pay attention to what's happening in the Unicameral.

State senators are making de- ~ .~s ions that affect thebudgets of state rxograms for the next two . ., years.

For example, Hassebrook said $1 million is the minimum amount needed for the Microen- terprise Investment Tax Act which offers a tax credit.

Under Gov. Dave Heineman's proposal, the program would be cut two-thirds from its cur- rent funding level as would the Building Entrepreneurial Com- munities Act.

"During our last recession, from 2000 to 2003, microen- terprise accounted for all-job. private non-farm job growth in Nebraska," he said. "Employ- ment grew 4.9% in microenter-

CHANGE Cont'd from page3

prises while falling 7% in larger firms."

Hassebrook said it isn't the time to eliminate the majority of services available to bolster success.

He added that microenter- prise accounts for 85% of busi- nesses and one out of every six jobs inNebraska-more in most rural areas.

That's why it's important for rural voices to be heard.

rl Lobby lessons given After a couple of role playing

sessions between Hassebrook and workshop participants, he said it's important to explain whv an issue matters to a con- stitbent and the community when lobbying senators.

"Be brie t and to the point arid make your case in one to two minutes," he said. "Always tell the truth and tell specifically what you want."

Listening is most important. "Understand and be under-

stood," he said. "Don't be afraid to admit you don't know some- thing if asked and get backtothe senator with the information."

Hassebrookalsoagreed with a sug;:estion to build a relation- ship with senators before the need to lobby occurs.

That can be accomplished

ELIZABETH BARRETT

KRVN IN'TERVIEW: The Rev. Cathi Braasch of Smithfield is inter- viewed by KRVN's Dave Schroeder at a legislative and media training work- shop in Gothenburg.

by attending gatherings in the senator's district such as cof- fees or breakfasts or visiting the senator in Lincoln.

He noted that letters to the editor in newspapers are an effective way of getting issues publicized free of charge.

The CFRA office can be contacted for help in writing letters or contacting senators, Hassebrook said.

3 Media give tips Media representatives Dave

Schroeder of KRVN and Eliza- beth Barrett of THE TIMES talked

tothegroupaboutwritingnews releases, how to feel comfort- able in an interview and other ways to get an event or cause

_ publicized. .-

During a role-playing inter- -

view, Hassebrook was then in- terviewed by the journalists.

When asked about critical issues in health care under the Obama administration, Hasse- brook said it's important that reform includes both large and small businesses.

"Health careis more unattain- able and unaffordable in rural areas," he said. "We need to address cost and what's driving up costs."

Hassebrooksaid he supports capping agricultural payments to large producers-with ef- fective limits-because they sometimes drive smaller farm- ers out of business.

"Although the farm economy is relatively strong, I've never seen a time so volatile in terms of product and input costs," he said. "And livestock numbers have dropped."

Economy wise, Hassebrook said he thinks the Midwest is doing better than other areas like the East and West coasts but that credit is tighter for smaller businesses.

More information about the CFKA and its programs can be accessed at: www.cfra.org or by calling the center at 402-687- 2103.

Renville Cwnty Date: Thursday, April 02.2009

Star Farmer News Location: OLIVIA, MN Circulation (DMA): 1,600 (1 5 ) Type (Frequency): Newspaper (W) Page: A4 Keyword: Center For Rural Affairs

= Farmers markets need help April 27th is the grant could make all

last day to submit Elisha the difference. applications to ~~~~l~~ USDA should USDA's Farmers make it a priority to Market Promotion Smith help rural communi- Program. This year, C tics access the pro- Congress increased to gram and give rural 85 million Centet farmers markets an amount available m opportunity to bent- grants nationally. Bffaicz fit f m these grants Last year, 225 organi- as wdl. Enhancing zations, communities ahd farmers, rural farmers markets could help market associations applied and 85 rebuild rural food systems, give rural grants we* awarded. Americans better d~oiccs for spend-

Of the 85 grants awarded, only 28 ing their food dollar and create eco- were awarded to assist fumers mar- nomic opportunities that could help kets in rural communities. Perhaps revive rural mainstreets. this grant program is not known well Rural Americans should also step enough. But a grant award in the up and help seek hnding for their dowed range of $2,500 to $100,000 local farmers markets. would makc a huge diilerence to any F, ,, -ti,,,, ,,,, the farmenmarket and f o r d commu- gram and how to a ply visit: nities struggling to establish local httpsJhrmKrmu& & ~ a c a l l food infitructurc. Ew, r s m d * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ( 4 ~ m ~

2100.

Page 1 of 1

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For reprlna or rbhk. please anlect the puMlrhm

Tribune Date: Wednesday, April 08,2009 Location: SPRING VALLEY, MN Circulation (DMA): 1,900 (1 53) Type (Frequency): Newspaper (W) Page: 7 Keyword: Center For Rural Affairs

Money available for farmers' market promotion grants ' Monday, April 27, is the last day

tb; submit applications for USDA's Farmers Market Promotion Piograrn (FMPP) grants.

The grants, authorized by the Farmers Market Pron~otion Program, are targeted to help improve and e,xpand domestic hrmers' markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture grograms and other direct produc- Cq-to-consumer market opportuni- ties.

t Approximately $5 million is allocated for the FMPP program. The minimum award per grant is $2,500, with a maximum of $,l00,000 for any one proposal.

atching funds' are not required. ntities eligible to apply include r

agricultural cooperatives, local &vernments. nonprofit corpora- tions, public health corporations, economic developmcnt corporn- tions, regional farmers' market authorities and tribal governments.

"The Farmers' Market Promotion Program is a great pppqrtunity to help producers and 'communities cover some of the

tart-up cost's of establishing a b cal farmers' market or other krm of direct marketing of agri-

cultural products from producers to consumers," said Mike Heavrin, cooperative development manager at the Genter -.

According to Heavrin, farmers' markets are good for communities, bringing farmers and consumers together to create a stronger local economy and providing con- sumers with fresh, affordable pro- duce. And the flexibility of the grants, absence of matching fund requirements and the additional funding provided by Congress should allow the Farmers' Market Promotion Program to potentially reach a lot more communities, especially rural communities with markets that are smaller or just starting up.

The Farmers' Market Promotion Program was created through a recent amendment of the Farmer- to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976.

For more information on the Farmers' Market Promotion Program Grants and how to apply. visit www.ms.usda.gov/FMPP or contact Mike Heavrin at the Center for Rural Affairs. For more information also . visit www.cfra.org.

Printing imperfections present during scanning

Q 2009 SPRING VALLEVTRIBUNE All Riihm Rarrrvad.

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For reprints or rghm, please mntau h e publlrher

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I I Farmer's Market April 27, 2009 is the last

day to submit applications for USDA's Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grants. The grants, authorized by the Farmers Market Promotion Program, are targeted to help improve and expand domes- tic farmers markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs and other direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities. Approxi- mately $5 million is allocated for the FMPP program. The minimum award per grant is $2,500, with a maximum of $1 00,000 for any one proposal. Matching funds are notrequired. Entities eligible to apply include agricultural cooperatives, local governments, nonprofit corpo- rations, public health corpora- tions, economic development

- - .-

corporations, regional farmers' market authorities and Tribal governments.

"The Farmers Market Pro- motion Program is a great opportunity to help producers and communities cover some of the start-up costs of establish- ing a local farmers market or other form of direct marketing from agricultural products from producers to consumers," said Mike Heavrin, Cooperative Development Manager at the Center for Rural Affairs.

For more information on the Farmers Market Promotion Program Grants and how to apply, visit: http://www.ams. usda.gov/FMPP. Or contact Mike Heavrin, at the Center for Rural Affairs at (402) 687-2103 ext. 1008 or rnikeh@cfra.org for assistance. .

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Million Available for Market Promotion Grants

April 27, 2009 is the last day to submit applications for USDA's Far- I - mers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grants. ! The grants, authorized by the Farmers Market Promotion Program, are

targeted to help improve and expand domestic farmers markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs and other direct pro- ducer-to-consumer market opportunities. Approximately $5 million is al- located for the FMPP program. The minimum award per grant is $2,500, with a maximum of $100,000 for any one proposal. Matching funds are not required. Entities eligible to apply include agricultural cooperatives, local governments, nonprofit corporations, public health corporations, economic development corporations, regional farmers' market authorities and Tribal governments.

"The Farmers Market Promotion Program is a great opportunity to help producers and communities cover some of the start-up costs of establishing a local farmers market or other form of direct marketing from agricultural products from producers to consumers," said Mike Heavrin, Cooperative Development Manager at the Center for Rural Affairs.

According to Heavrin, farmers markets are good for communities, bringing farmers and consumers together to create a stronger local econo- my and providing consumers with fresh, affordable produce. And the flex- ibility of the grants, absence of matching fund requirements and the addi- tional funding provided by Congress should allow the Farmers Market Promotion Program to potentially reach a lot more communities, especially rural communities with markets that are smaller or just starting up.

The Farmers Market Promotion Program was created through a recent amendment of the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976. For more information on the Farmers Market Promotion Program Grants and how to apply, visit: http:Nwww.ams.usda.gov/FMPP. Or contact Mike Heavrin, at the Center for Rural Affairs at (402) 687-2103 ext. 1008 or mikeh@cfia.org for assistance. For more information also visit:

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Page 26 theBeemerTimes

Page 46 PilgerHerald-Enterprise

Page 56

Local Editlon 14 Dacles. 3 inserts - - - - . -~

Out-State ~diti; - ' I 4 pages V01 122 (USPS 689-000) Thursdav. A ~ r i l 2 . 2009

Economic developmen It is obvious that there are obstacles

still to overcome, but Cuming County took the first step to a ossible county- wide economic deve opment effort this week.

P This first step came Thursday in

Wisner as leaders representing the county and it's four municipalities met for open discussion on the topic of a county-wide economic development effort.

In theory, that effort would include the hiring ofan economic development director, and setting u p a county economic development office, likely at the Cuming County Courthouse.

Facilitating the Thursday meeting was University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educator for Burt County, Carroll Welte. She was instrumental in helping to develop a county-wide economic development effort in Burt County. This ofice has been in operation for nearly six years.

Following a brief introduction and statements by the 15 representatives, Welte drew the following conclusions about Cuming County: there is an abundance of pride; the county and

- municipalities are togressive; i r is a county that is wileng to work and give; quality infrastructures are in place throughout the communities; and a solid economic resource is already iri place, and spearheaded by the animal operations industry.

As she identified the pyramid that must be in place for cconon~ir developnient to succeed in a counn: Welte said that strong leader~t i i~ mu::! be at the top, and strong cornnluntt) development in the mitlcile. The bas? is the actual economic deseloyment.

Defining the difference betweeri economic and community development- economic development deals witti businesses and job creation, while community developrrient deals with infrastructures.

"Just hearing from those here in attendance, I'd say the leadership ar~cl communiry development areas of the pyrmiid are covered. All that's left i c figuring out how to get to the economic develcrpmcr~r base," said Welte.

In general, regionai economic development focuses on three priorities. These being: business retention and

t effort cou expansion of existing businesses; recruiting new businesses and jobs; entrepreneurship.

Comparative models A good starting point would be to

identify a quality model, or two, to compare to.

In Nebraska, both Welte and others in the economic development field present on Thursday agreed that Valley County ((3rd) is one ofthe best models in the State of Nebraska.

"Right now, Valley County, or Ord, is on most radar screens," said Welte. "Let's remember, though, this is all current. Ord wasn't the model system in the past, nor does it mean another county couldn't surpass them, like say a Cuming County," said Welte.

Ord is one of 21 current Nebraska cit ie:, designated as Nebraska Econoniic Development Certified. Among those in the immediate area that are certified are Norfolk, Wayne, South Sioux City, Fremont and Wahoo.

Bencfits of becom~ng certified are that i t indicates a community is strongly positioned for economic development,

-i*publicly recognized as such, and is out

- - ~ i ~ ~ ~ ~ N ~ ~ ~ - C h l ~ ~ i ~ l e ~ Thursday, April 2, 2009

n COUNTY to suppol t a county-wide venture. According to Welte, Burt County

figurcs show around $70,000 t o FROM PAGE 1A $75,000 annuall) to run rts economic

as i>.$ldInOUnt to any development develei~rncnt office. efforts.

"Your websites are critical. They have to be current. The whole issue of

7he' set-up of the Burt County office has the county paying the first $24,000, and the different municipal i t ies

marketingcan be done with an effective supporting the reniaining costs on a website," said Welte. per capita basis.

Representatives from three of the A similar structure was talked four communities idrntified that help about for Cunling County, although was needed in the area of websites. added was initiated on West Point's site was identified as "very the possibility of using the county's powerful." inheritaticc tax to support a good share

Id . . stretch county-wide there for contacts.

As a whole, C u n ~ i n g County is not eligible to become certified. ?he different communities in the county do have the option, but must overcome certain obstacles.

Accordin to Welte, the structure of a county-wi $ e economic development depends greatly on the individual e conomic deve lopmen t t h a t is present within it's commurlities and infrastructures. Those resoilrr.cs must stay in place, even if a county-wide effort is in place.

'C . Some ofour best resource points for economic development are our public power districts and tclecommunication centers already in place. Within our cities you will find plenty of complimentary sources for economic developn~ent," said Welte.

Going around the room, those in a t tendance identif ied several cornpl i~nentary sources: C:nming County Visitors Bureau, city councils a n d village boards , West I'oinr Development Corporation, Wisner Community Developn~ent, Becnter Economic Developlrient Corporation,

Bancroft Betterment, the county board of'supervisors, Northeast Community College, the Center for Rural Affairs, the Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District, the Louis and Abby Faye Dinklage Foundation, and several ag lending institutions.

Advantages to county-wide A huge driving force to forming any

county-wide economic development ofice is the advantages such a11 office would bring to the county.

Another br~ef assignment Welte p v e those in attendance Thursday was to identify these advantages.

Among the different advantages that were identified were: a pooling of resources, one person present to pull all the conimunities together, a cost-eEectiveness, more ears out there to I~sten, a clearing house in place, increased political clout, more grant funding for regional efhorts, exponential power of a bigger group, and strong website potential.

The latter, or the issue ofcommunity websires, was touched on and f.zbeled

TO PAGE 2 4 COL. 1

Concerns of the cost. Another factor that was necessary to According to one representative of

visit on Thursday was the concerns of the'2i/isner Conl~nr~nity Llevelopment, I

- -

the different communities. the hndjng part is "tire most exhausting At the forefront, according to Welte, part of ecoriornic development."

was the fact that all interested parties Having an itlea on how the office had to buy into the conccpt for it to was p i n g to be funded would be one of be successful. the cl.ucial initial steps for the group.

One thing each cornmunity would "First you need to have a vision and have to overcome is the feeling of the support- to back this vision. Then resentment when different investmerits important to lock in thc financial are made outside one's town. An suppot.t," said Wclte. understanding that development within In the line of recommended action, the county, no matter what community, it was decided to come u p with a is beneficial to each community. committee that will present the concept

Along t he same lines are the to the different entities involved to see resentments that thr bigger conimunities if the support is out therc ro continue. get everything. According to Welte. An exploratory committee was that's better than no one in the counv developed, and will include a rne~nber

getting it." of the following entities: the Cities T h e legal structure of anything of %rest Point (Bruce Schlecht) and

county-wide was another concern. Wisner (Larry Rockelman), thevillages 'rlie big topic of concern was the of Reemer (Doug Steffensmeier) and

funding. An initial concern roi~ched Bancroft ((Jon Cerny), the Cuniing upon was srated by representatives of County JJublic Power District (Elwoo4 the City of West Point and the West Moore), the West Point Industrial Point Chamber of Commerce. Board (Mark Knobbe), the Cuming

Currently, the City of West Point County Board of Supervisors (Steve helps fund a portion o l the West Point Sill). The representatives mentioned C of C . Concerns were raised over may be replaced by another member what it would do to the C of C, sFioultl of' arl entity. funding efforts go elsewhere, like a O n e of the first dut ies of the county-wide effort. explor;~tol-y committee will be to

Funding atlend upcorrling meetin s o f the I?

One question most different enriries to see if t e overall

answered norsday was he amount of support is there to continue exploring

dollars one would have to come ,lp with the o p t ~ o r ~ of a county-wide economic development office

NEWS-CHRONICLE THLTRSDAY WEEKLY WISNER, NE Circulation = 1857

Dysart Reporter Dysart,lA Circ. 703

From Page: 2b

. ,

4/2/2009 4

Forums on I health care refonn Md Rural Ainerica coming

Lyoqs, Neb. - The Center for &fa1 Affairs Iowa Farmers Union. Iowa Citi- zen Action Network. Work- ing Families Win, and HeaIth Care for America Now Iowa are co-hosting forums on rural health care refonn.

The forums will focus on the unique challenges that rural Americans face in gaining access to affordable health care that meets their needs. Solutions to improve the current health care sys- tem and implement health caie reform that works for all of America will be dis- cussed. The forums are set at:

Monday. April 6. 6-7 p.m. City Council Chambers 220 Clay St. Cedar Falls and Tuesday, April 7, 6-7 p.m. Mohawk Square 22 N. Geor- gia St. Mason City.

I U NIVERSAL Information Services, Inc

GAZETTE WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WAUSA, NE Circulation = 753

04/01/2009

IIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII - -- -- -- - .- ," . .-.-p-_l---m .-.~ ~ ~- - . -. .

=;County Facts Book may be available before long. WAUSA -- 'The Nebraska Public Power District will be

conducting'Targct Surveys which concentrate on assistingcom- munitics and regions with the expansion of existing industry and attracting ncw businesses.

"Several of the communities have Facts Books. I would like to see thc county have a Facts Book for the whole area, not just for each corr~rnunity," said Economic Director Toni Tauber. ''NPI'D will be doing the work on the surveys."

According to a web site with the NE Dept. of Revenue retail sales for Knox County were up by 9.2 percent from 2007 to 2008.

"Knox County was one of the few countics to see an in- crease," Tauber said, with 14 applications for a revolving loan through the county having been given out.

"Seven of thc applications are active," Tauber said. Tauber is curlently working with the Center for Rural Af-

fails on a grant that would be uscd to put plans in place for a Leadership Academy that would be held in Knox County.

"The Leadership Acadcrny would be done on an annual basis," said Tauber. "The $5,000 grant would be used for research and putting together plans for the academy."

Tauber will also be looking at the possibility of obtaining a grant to help with the cost of a new phone system for the Courthouse.

The Supervisors are looking at updating the tclcphone system and using wireless internet for thc entire Courthouse as the current phone system has beco~nc obsolete.

"It is hard to find repairs," said County Clerk Joann Fischer.

Board members tabled making a decision due to changes in technology happening at such a fast rate.

"We can do our homework and sce if a better system shows up in the future," said Supervisor Steve Banks.

Tauber told the board members she will be out of her of- fice from April 1 to 5th as she will bc in Washington DC as part of a delegation that will bc meeting with U.S. Scnators and Congressmen. She will also attend a Heartland Economic Development Course in Missouri from April 18-23.

The board members took action to continue the lawn service contract with Scott McManigal for 2009. McManigal was given a two percent raise.

"We are pleased with the job Scott has done," said Banks.

Arepresentative from the Yankton Search and Rescue asked the board members for financial help.

The Yankton Search and Rescue has provided assistance on two drownings that occurred in ~ n o x ? o u n t ~ .

"They provide a great service for this area with all of our

lake and river frontage," said Banks. Thc board members tabled making a decision until a later

date. The Supervisors are in the process of sprucing up the board

room at the courthouse. The board room is used for at least two supervisor meetings

each month plus the room is shared with the Drivers License Examiners.

The Supervisors were on hand Thursday morning, March 26 when eight new chairs for the board room were delivered. The old chairs were moved to the Sheriff's Office in the basement.

The Supervisors will be accepting quotes for new carpet for the board room before April 9.

Thc carpet needs to be down ahead of having new camera equipment installed in the board room.

Pictures for driver's licenscs and ID cards and the tests will all be done in the board room within a few months. Pictures are currently being done by the Treasurers Office.

Money the county receives from Keno operations was used for the chairs and will be used for the carpet. ,

The lottery was set up for Lotto Nebraska and the business place along with the State and local government to receive a portion of the earnings.

THE

Serving the Lyons & Decatur un Communities VOLUME 127 ISSUE 37

J THURSDAY, APRIL 2,2009 LYONS, NEBRASKA 68038 10 PAGES 75 CENTS

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O ~ S ' Volunteers are winners -

MIRROR-SUN THURSDAY IVEEKLY LYONS, NE Circulation = 735

Lyons volunteers Kim Pres- ton and Karolyn -McElroy have been recognized with awards at Nebraska Emer- gency Services Association's (NEMSA) Spring Confer- ences.

At the 2008 NEMSA Spring Conference held in Colum- bus, NE Kim Preston was presented the First Responder of the Year award. She was nominated by the Lyons Rescue Department. Rescue Captain Karolyn McElroy says that "Kim has been a very integral part of the Lyons Volunteer Fire & Rescue since she joined in 2005.

Kim has devoted a lot of time responding to a high number of calls and has been keeping our department up to date sub- mitting our run information to the state of Nebraska via the E-NARSIS system."

Kim earned her Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license in the spring of 2008 and is nationally registered.

E m is the wife of Trevor Preston from Lyons and has 2 children Blair and Reid.

She is employed at the Cen- ter for Rural Affairs in Lyons and is active in the commu- nity beyond the department, volunteering at the school for Partners in Education and serves her church as Sunday School Superintendent.

At NEMSA's Spring Con-

Those on hand at the NEMSA Spring Conference were Front row L to R: Wendy Phillips Kim Preston, Karolyn McRroy, Jamie Ferguson, Al Hoover Back row L to R: Shannon Burgett, Scottle Burgett, Larry McElroy, Ron Brovont, Jim Ferguson

ference 2009, Karolyn McE1- saster drills for Burt County. by NEMSA's award commit- They give unselfishly of roy was awarded The EMT of Karolyn is a CPR instructor, tee of which Jirnrnie Metzler themselves to our commu- the Year award. Karolyn has she has been Burt County from Oakland is Chairman. nity; they all should be given been an EMT with the Lyons Mutual's Secretary~Treasurer Karolyn is married to Larry awards for sharing their time Volunteer Fire & Rescue for 7 years . McElroy and has two sons, and talents with us! Department since 1993 and She is serving on the board Josh from Blair, NE and Jar- I feel honored to be a part has served as Rescue Captain of the Nebraska Emergency rod from Lyons. of our local department and since 1995. Medical Services Association Larry is currently serving as commend everyone in our

Karolyn has worked dili- (NEMSA) as the Treasurer LVFD's Fire Chief. county for their service! gently to keep the squad up to since 2007. Karolyn says, "The Lyons I would like to thank date with new ideas, helping Karolyn's nomination was Volunteer Fire & Rescue my family and employer, with the required training for written by Lyons Volunteer Department is the greatest Oakland Mercy Hospital res,cue. personnel, and serves Fire Department's President bunch of people that I could for their support that helps 66 the' Eomrnittee to organize Ron Brovont. ever wish to work with and make it possible for me to and set up the annual mockdi- Both awards were reviewed call friends. volunteer."