Senator Tom Harkin announced last week that four Iowa regional planning commissions and councils of government received grants totaling $243,000. Locally, the North Iowa Area Council of Governments (NIACOG), located in Mason City, received $61,000. NIACOG’s mission is to help put together a comprehensive economic development strategy for the 8 counties and 67 communities it serves.|Senator Tom Harkin announced last week that four Iowa regional planning commissions and councils of government received a total of $243,000 in grants to update their comprehensive economic development strategies for Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Van Buren, Wapello, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago, Worth, Des Moines, Henry, Lee, Louisa, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Montgomery, Page, and Shelby counties. These funds were made available through the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Economic Development Administration. Harkin is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee that funds the DOC.
Locally, the North Iowa Area Council of Governments (NIACOG), located in Mason City, received $61,000. NIACOG’s mission is to help put together a comprehensive economic development strategy for the 8 counties and 67 communities it serves.
Joe Myhre, NIACOG Executive Director, told NorthIowaToday.com that NIACOG “assists communities throughout the 8 counties we serve; 67 communities are members.”
“We offer planning and expertise,” Myhre said. “We assist communities that may not have the staff or resources to to pursue some forms of economic development.”
Myhre says the $61,000 grant is “not new money. We’ve gotten it 14 years in a row. We have not seen an increase in funding for some time.”
Senator Harkin explained the grant funding to the regional planning commissions. “These grants will help to initiate private and public investment to help develop new jobs and give a needed boost to local communities,” Harkin said. “Strong development strategies are imperative to increasing job and career opportunities across the state.”
These grants will establish an economic development planning framework, process and strategy that supports private capital investment and job creation in local communities in Iowa.
Details of the grants are below:
$61,000-North Iowa Area Council of Governments (Mason City)
$61,000-Area 15 Regional Planning Commission (Ottumwa)
$61,000-Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (Burlington)
$60,000-Southwest Iowa Planning Council (Atlantic)
More about NIACOG:
North Iowa Area Council of Governments (NIACOG), located in Mason City, “is a voluntary association of local governments established for the purpose of promoting intergovernmental cooperation and strengthening local units of government. By working collectively through the Council of Governments, cities and counties can share professional and technical services they could otherwise not afford” according to its website.
“Unlike municipalities and counties, NIACOG is not a unit of government, has no power to tax, or to enact or enforce laws. NIACOG’s basic financial support comes from participating units of local government.”|
