Local Government Assistance

The following projects and programs provide a snapshot of how regional development organizations are using local government assistance to promote and increase public interest in smart, regionally-based economic development. The technical assistance includes planning, training, technology, redevelopment and education.

Focused Future II – City of Cottonwood, Arizona is a year-long pilot funded and facilitated by the Arizona Public Service Community Relations and Economic Development Department. The pilot generated a multitude of planning and focus groups to assess, examine and monitor Cottonwood’s economic trends, challenges and future. The end result was the production of a realistic economic strategic plan adopted by Cottonwood local officials and the general public for implementation.

Six mile township in the South Carolina Appalachian COG’s region, was one of five distressed communities to receive technical assistance in needs assessment and planning.

The Training Sessions for Planning Commissions and Boards of Adjustments, designed and conducted by the Barren River Area Development District in Kentucky, and Western Kentucky University’s Center for Local Governments joint program, have provided local planning and zoning commissions and boards of adjustment members with annual and introductory training as mandated by Kentucky. Timely training on topics such as, ethics and legal obligations has been provided to 111 registrants.

The Local Official Training Initiative is an ongoing program administered by the Lincoln Trail Area Development District in Kentucky. The district collaborates with local, state and federal organizations to offer training for county officials, elected officials and board/commission members. Attendance averages 20 registrants per workshop, often free of charge and conveniently scheduled. Funding was acquired through the Kentucky Department for Local Government and U.S. Economic Development Administration.

The Building Inspection Services program was designed and is administered by the Mid-Minnesota Development Commission. Currently, services are offered on a contract basis to 15 rural communities who have adopted state building codes. The commission employs two full-time, certified building inspectors for rehabilitation, hazardous building, handicap accessibility and lead-based paint inspections, as well as making risk assessments, addressing asbestos concerns and final inspection of housing grant programs.

The Perryville Center for Industry and Education project entails redeveloping a former seminary and preserving a piece of local history. The Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission and local government partners, have gathered funding from nine separate sources to redevelop the seminary into a university satellite campus. A key objective is to maintain the site’s historical significance on the National Historic Register, as the first higher education institution west of the Mississippi River.

Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments, in North Carolina, and the regional Workforce Development Board took the lead in Project Re-Entry, which provides a collaborative service system for recently released prisoners or ex-offenders and their re-integration into communities within the region. The collaborative service-system, links the North Carolina Department of Corrections, community organizations and local employers together to assist ex-offenders before and after release with services, such as job training and transition planning.

Five small (population up to 1,100) distressed communities in the South Carolina Appalachian Council of Governments’ region volunteered for the council’s Small Towns Technical Assistance Program. The program first conducted a needs assessment survey for each town to identify service needs and then provide the service. Some technical assistance included strategic planning sessions, budgeting, utility rate studies and custom computer programming. Partial funding was acquired from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Arizona Public Service, Focused Future II - City of Cottonwood, Arizona. Contact: Sally Odette or Evelyn Casuga, PO Box 5399, M.S. 8010, Phoenix, AZ 85072-3999; 602/250-4240; fax 602/250-3360; email sally.odette@pinnaclewest.com;
web www.aps.com