ECIA_AR_FY24

Our Mission The mission of ECIA is to empower communities and their people through sustainable partnerships; promoting equity and inclusivity; and providing services to enhance the quality of life in the region.

East Central Intergovernmental Association 1

FY 24 Governance

Jackson County

Clinton County

Brad Gaul, Supervisor Jeff Kaufmann, Supervisor, alternate Roger Laughlin, Mayor, West Branch Rod Ness, Executive Director, Cedar County Economic Development Andrew Oberbreckling, Mayor, Mechanicsville Derek Olberding, Vice President, Fidelity Bank Brian Wagner, Vice Chair, City Manager, Tipton Erin George, Supervisor Steve Hasenmiller, Mayor, City of DeWitt Brian Kelly, President, Clinton Community College, Eastern IA CC Steve Lindner, City Administrator, City of DeWitt, alternate Scott Maddasion, Mayor, City of Clinton * Shannon Sander-Welzien, Executive Director, Clinton YMCA Donald Thiltgen, Retired, alternate Jeremiah Wiese, Mayor, City of Wheatland *

Connie Behnken, Mayor, City of Manchester * Elise Bergan, Director, Edgewood Development Corporation Linda Gaul, City Clerk, City of Earlville Shirley Helmrichs, Supervisor Jeff Madlom, Supervisor Sarah Maurer, Mortgage & Consumer Loan Officer, GNB Bank Timothy Vick, City Manager, City of Manchester, alternate

Dubuque County

Delaware County

Cedar County

The ECIA Council is a 30-member group comprised of six members from each of the five counties. Four are from the public sector, two from the private sector. There is also a nine-member Executive Committee that makes recommendations to the ECIA Council to act on or discuss.

There are also separate boards for other entities under the ECIA umbrella.

Brad Cavanagh, Mayor, City of Dubuque * Harley Pothoff, Supervisor Wayne Kenniker, Supervisor, alternate Annette Ernst, City Administrator, City of Peosta Beth Bonz, Chair, City Manager, City of Asbury * Jason Neises, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager, City of Dubuque, alternate * Chuck Niehaus, Chair, EIRHA/EIRHC *

Sheryl Ganzer, City Administrator, City of Preston Tom Roth, City Council, City of Bellevue, alternate Mike Steines, Supervisor Don Schwenker, Supervisor, alternate Matt Tranel, 1st Vice President, Maquoketa State Bank Jack Willey, Retired * Tom Messerli, Mayor, City of Maquoketa, alternate Joshua Boldt, City Manager, City of Maquoketa Teresa Weinschenk, City Administrator, City of Bellevue

* Executive Committee Member

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Addressing a Critical Need ECIA celebrated its 50th anniversary in fiscal year 2024 and our impact of a half-century of services can be felt throughout the region. The past year has been particularly active and productive, and we are excited to share some of the highlights in this report.

The Association’s annual operating budget has nearly doubled from $5M to $9.5M in the past ten years, and much of our growth, as we look closely at FY 24 charts on page 4, can be attributed to housingrelated initiatives.

The growth was mostly gradual and reflected local, regional, and national economies. However, ECIA’s growth has spiked since the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2021 and increasing amounts of federal funding have been released to bolster the national economy. The pandemic also coincided with a national housing crisis, from which the country is still trying to recover.

As more funding has become available in housing programs, it is easy to see that much of ECIA’s growth in the past few years is also related to housing. In this year’s annual report, we’ve chosen to focus our message on the importance of our housing initiatives and the programs that help make houses homes and the people who live in them, a community.

One of 17 Councils of Governments in Iowa, ECIA has always had a strong presence in transportation planning for the region, which continues to contribute approximately 7% of ECIA’s revenue stream. But, in FY 24 ECIA’s subsidiary, Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Authority (EIRHA) which owns and manages numerous public housing authorities and grant programs, comprised 19.07% of the budget at more than $1.8M. The Community Development program grew to 13.28% of the budget at $1.3M, with an additional and substantial 34% of the budget, or $3.2M that was passed through to contractors and other service providers from our grants. Community Solutions of Eastern Iowa (CSEI), and EPA Brownfields funding contributed an additional 4.06% of the budget. Another 6.5% of the budget was from contracted services for things like Housing Needs Assessments, which also contributed to the overall increase in our revenue streams. Collectively, nearly 77% of the ECIA budget in FY 24 can be related to improving housing conditions for Iowans.

In January 2024, Kelley Deutmeyer, retired after 23 years of dedicated service to ECIA and our partners.

Kelley, who came from the housing sector of ECIA to become Executive Director, had a keen interest in building and managing affordable housing. From our public housing complexes to the development of a pocket neighborhood to helping to secure funding for home repairs and homelessness grants, Kelley was instrumental in ensuring ECIA contributed to the well-being of our eastern Iowa region.

On the next few pages, we hope you’ll enjoy a few examples of the hundreds of projects and thousands of people ECIA staff and programs helped in FY 24.

For complete details about ECIA’s impact, visit www.ecia.org/projectsmap to see a map of regional projects.

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PROGRAMS of Revenue FY 24 Sources $9.5 M

Membership Fees 1.57% Economic Development 1.82% COG Assistance 0.16% Training and Technical 2.26%

Pass Through 33.50%

CSEI 3.11%

Services 6.54%

Business Growth 2.19% Others 0.65%

Community Development 13.28%

Brownfields 0.95%

EIRHA 19.07% Transportation 7.02%

RTA 7.87%

FY 24 Sources of Funds FUNDING SOURCES

Pass Through - Federal 33.03% Federal 55.72%

Local 5.22% State 6.04%

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Turning Blight into Mixed Use ECIA has had a brownfields program for eight years. In FY 24, work continued on West Branch’s Heritage Hill Development, to construct 75 housing units, on the former Croell Redi-Mix site. This vacant brownfield was purchased by the City in 2016 and in 2018, 2019, and 2020 utilized $72,760 of ECIA’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfield Assessment funds and an Iowa Department Natural Resources (IDNR) Derelict Building grant of $50,890.

The developer received Workforce Housing Credits for three phases of the project (75 housing units) totaling $2.45 million. The City offered the developer a Tax Rebate of up to $5 million for commercial development and up to $4.5 million for residential development up to twenty years to support this multiphase project.

The entire project consisting of 85-100 housing units plus commercial units is anticipated to be completed by 2026. Total project cost is anticipated to exceed $21 million.

Thoughtfully designed, each unit features full stainless kitchens, walk in closets, in unit washer and dryer, and luxury vinyl plank flooring throughout the entire home. The development is located next to a beautiful park and the Hoover Nature trail.

ECIA provides technical and financial assistance in order to assess, cleanup, and reuse potential brownfields sites throughout the five-county region of Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, and Jackson Counties. In FY 24, projects in Jones & part of Clayton Counties utilized assessment funding.

For more information, visit www.ecia.org/brownfields

Developing More Housing

Many ECIA staff write various grants for recreation, transportation, business development, housing development, and housing rehab projects. Colesburg received its first ever $100,000 Community Catalyst Building Remediation (Catalyst) grant at the start of FY 24 and currently, work is in progress on a prominent old stone building. Constructed in 1860, this building serves as a gateway to the downtown from the north. This is a classic Catalyst project because it checks off one of the top program criteria; it creates upper story housing. Project work includes rehabbing the vacant storefront and converting the existing upper story 2-bedroom apartment into two, 2-bedroom apartments, rehabbing both. The total project cost is $224,337. Not only is this grant the first for this community, it’s the first in Delaware County.

“This is exciting for our community and I’m glad we can do our part to address the critical housing shortage,” said Colesburg Mayor Tom Forkenbrock.

ECIA staff provides communities assistance for services they do not have the capacity for such as community facility grant writing and administration, housing rehabilitation, building inspections, and more.

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/3665hu9f.

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First Home

People utilizing ECIA’s housing assistance, through the Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Authority (EIRHA), have access to self-sufficiency programs which are designed to promote employment and offer them an opportunity to save money, and in some cases, they may ultimately purchase a house of their own. Below is a story from an individual who took advantage of this program during FY 24: “When I first moved here, I didn’t know anything about the Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) program. A case manager spoke with me about the program and I took a chance. I set a goal to improve my credit and one day own a house of my own. Over time, I was able to improve my credit and learn more about home ownership.

Eventually, I began to see progress. I obtained a job that paid more and allowed me to work from home so I could provide care for my children. My money management skills have improved immensely, and I’ve learned how to budget properly and save.

I am proud I’m self-sufficient and thriving. My family is doing well, and we are building a brighter future.

All thanks to the FSS program that gave me the initial push to start achieving my goals.”

EIRHA was established in 1978 to meet the housing needs of low and moderate-income families and the elderly and serves seven counties: Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones, and Scott in Eastern Iowa.

For more information, visit www.eirha.org.

Making Homes Safer ECIA’s Home Repair Program administers three federal grants to make existing homes safe and healthy in the ECIA region. In FY 24, $2,869,117, was expended between projects and staff time for these three grants.

A disabled Earlville homeowner and her house were impacted in FY 24 in the following ways by the program: Lead hazard control work of $22,000 was completed consisting of exterior and interior paint stabilization on doors, trim, baseboards, window components, stairwells, along with additional back porch and laundry room renovation. Healthy Homes funds of $4,850 were also used for smoke alarms and CO detectors, ADA compliant ramp, new water heater, and GFCI outlets.

However, the home still needed major bathroom renovation to make it safer for the disabled occupant.

That’s when ECIA Home Repair Program administrators turned to EIRHA’s Housing Trust Fund (HTF) program administrator and $13,500 was utilized from the HTF to totally renovate the bathroom including walk in shower, new vanity and flooring, and updated plumbing and fixtures.

This was truly a team effort for the best possible result of facilitating needed improvements so this homeowner can be confident and safe in her home.

ECIA staff administers the following HUD grants: Lead Paint and Healthy Homes Program (LPHH), Older Adults Home Modification Program (OAHMP), Healthy Homes Program (HH), and under the EIRHA umbrella, the IFA Housing Trust Fund.

For more information, visit: https://tinyurl.com/4p56u3s6 and https://tinyurl.com/2hmuvp5m.

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Sheltering the Most Vulnerable ECIA’s homeless division that serves Delaware and Dubuque Counties, Community Solutions of Eastern Iowa (CSEI), connected with Sarah during her shelter stay during FY 24. She had been at the shelter for four months after fleeing from domestic violence. She had been separated from her children, who were living with family temporarily so they could remain in school. With the help of her caseworker, Sarah quickly found housing for her family. Within the three months that Sarah was enrolled in the program, she obtained food stamps, secured a job, and saved enough money to purchase a reliable vehicle. Sarah now works in a care provider role at a local agency and credits her ability to serve people in need because of the opportunities she’s received through CSEI’s Rapid Rehousing program. Although she recognizes that there is more work to do, with the help of CSEI’s support services, Sarah has begun to stabilize her family after homelessness.

Photo courtesy of Kristen Leffler CSEI @ HOME Photovoice

“I owe a huge thank you to the staff. They helped feel like I wasn’t alone and always had support. I worked hard to get to this point. Now, I need to work harder to stay. Just because I’m mostly back on my feet doesn’t mean I can just stop. There are still mountains to climb.”

CSEI promotes and encourages public well-being; provides homeless prevention resources to those living in poverty and threatened with homelessness; helps individuals and families survive and exit homelessness; and expands opportunities and empowers people to be self-sufficient in east central Iowa cities and counties.

For more information, visit www.cseiowa.org.

Connecting Kids to Life’s Destinations ECIA’s transit division, the Region 8 Regional Transit Authority (RTA) knows low-income families struggle with many barriers, including reliable, safe transportation. Getting kids from their homes to their daily essential destinations can be difficult and stressful. Many times, low-income families are extremely limited in housing choices because their homes need to be within walking distance or have access to free public transportation to critical services.

This is where the RTA can help by offering free rides to kids age 15 and under. For example, there are many low-income and non-English speaking families that live at a large apartment complex located on one of the busiest streets in Dubuque. For young children, navigating the stretch of roads in front of their homes would be too dangerous on foot. Families can now schedule their own rides from this RTA pickup spot using the QRYDE online portal and have peace of mind knowing their children are getting from home to their destinations and back safely at no cost.

The RTA provides accessible, safe, convenient, and efficient transportation for all citizens in the cities, communities and rural areas of Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson Counties to enhance their quality of life.

For more information, visit www.rta8.org East Central Intergovernmental Association 7

Planning for Housing When communities need direction on planning for the future, they often turn to the comprehensive planning process which is a service that the ECIA Transportation and Planning division offers. A comprehensive plan presents a shared vision for the future, with long-range goals and objectives for all activities that affect growth and development of the community. It is a 20-year policy guide shaped by public input that covers a wide range of issues. The process involves reviewing existing conditions as well as issues and opportunities in the following planning elements: Community Facilities and Services; Infrastructure and Utilities; Transportation; Economic Development; Housing; Agriculture and Natural Resources; Parks, Recreation, Cultural Resources; Hazard Mitigation; and, Land Use. Jackson County, with the expertise of ECIA, adopted its first comprehensive plan in FY 24.

The Plan’s housing chapter analyzes the existing housing situation in Jackson County, identifies key housing related issues, and recommends actions that the county and its partners can take to achieve its vision for the future. The following goals came out from this portion of the Plan: Provide affordable housing to make Jackson County attractive for young workers; Increase and diversify housing options throughout Jackson County, and Provide more housing options for seniors.

The Board of Supervisors now has a guide for future decision making and to achieve this shared vision, will actively work to incorporate the Plan’s recommendations into its budgets, policies, and ordinances. With additional research, analysis, and public input, Jackson County may see more housing options in the future.

Toby Giesemann with Bellevue State Bank, was on the steering committee for the Jackson County comprehensive plan process, and had this to say, “This was really interesting to be a part of and I can’t wait to see the projects come to fruition in the coming years.”

ECIA Transportation and Planning provides technical services to communities in the following areas.

Comprehensive plans, Trail planning, and Census data collection and interpretation.

For more information, visit www.eciatrans.org

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Creating a Sense of Place Seven staff coach communities in Delaware, Dubuque, and Jackson Counties through the Keep Iowa Beautiful (KIB) Hometown Pride (HP) program helping to facilitate quality of life projects and events.

Towns across the region are looking to offer quality, affordable recreation and activities for its current citizens, but also top-notch amenities to attract new families to live. The following are some of the projects coaches worked with communities on in FY 24.

Edgewood

! ( 3

5

1

Greeley

Dundee

38

Masonville

20 £ ¤

4

Sageville

14

Bankston

Dyersville

20 £ ¤

! ( 3

! (

13

20 ¤ 52 £ £ ¤

151

Cascade

St. Donatus

61 £ ¤

£ ¤

136

8

! (

Centralia

DUBUQUE

16

Hopkinton

Dubuque

11

Graf

Peosta 15

Worthington

38

Ryan

Asbury

Farley Epworth

Delhi

DELAWARE 10

52 £ ¤

Earlville 6

2 Delaware

Rickardsville Durango

New Vienna

Text

Manchester 9

12

13

! (

13

Sherrill

Holy Cross

Luxemburg

7

! (

Balltown

Colesburg

Bernard

52 £ ¤

Zwingle La Motte

Text

JACKSON

20

! ( 62

Andrew

61 £ ¤

Text Monmouth Baldwin

! ( ! ( 64

Bellevue

Maquoketa 17

Lost Nation

30 £ ¤

!21 Clarence (

Stanwood

22

West Branch

23 80

§ ¨ ¦

! ( 38

Wheatland

30 £ ¤

Grand Mound

19

Andover Goose Lake

67 £ ¤

30 £ ¤

Low Moor

Camanche

Bennett

§Durant ¨ ¦

Sabula

64

Clinton

130

0 Rochester

De Witt

Calamus

! (

136 !

CLINTON (

! (

80

Downey

Welton

Toronto

Lowden

Tipton

18

Charlotte

30 £ ¤

CEDAR

Spragueville Preston Miles

61 £ ¤

38

Mechanicsville

52 £ ¤

Delmar

136

20

Springbrook

5

10 Miles

R

Map Created by ECIA, 2021.

Note: Clinton County is not served by ECIA for HP coaching.

Scale 1:700,000 East Central Intergovernmental Association 9

1

4

7

5

9

FY 24 KEEP IOWA BEAUTIFUL HOMETOWN PRIDE PROJECTS

10

2 8 6

11

3

13

14

15

1 Colesburg prom event 2 Delaware park improvement fundraiser picnic 12

3 Delaware County Scenic Trail planning

16

4 Pickleball courts at Delhi’s Silver Lake Park 5 Dundee park equipment 6 IEDA downtown walkaround in Earlville 7 New banners in progress for Greeley light poles 8 Hopkinton community-wide photo contest

17

9 Manchester dog park project 10 Ryan ballpark improvements 11 Asbury’s way-finding sign w/QR code for trail map

19

18

12 “Oh, Holy Cross Night” event 13 20 trees for Luxemburg’s city park 14 New Vienna’s Catalyst grant award 15 Peosta’s Kelly Oaks Park development 16 Worthington’s new mural 17 Maquoketa’s downtown greenspace redevelopment

20

22

18 Preston’s Main Street Square

19 14 New picnic tables for Sabula’s park 23

20 Mechanicsville park cleanup event and meal 21 Stanwood Derelict Building grant 22 New park equipment for Tipton city park

21

23 West Branch Park Plan East Central Intergovernmental Association 10

Snapshot of Our Impact

Improving Connectivity The ECIA transportation division, which staffs the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (DMATS), partnered with the City of Dubuque and Dubuque County to improve traffic near the Dubuque John Deere manufacturing plant and upgrade the Northwest Arterial to a State of Good Repair. The project cost $16.66 million, with Dubuque County receiving $6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation. DMATS contributed $4.8 million for the Northwest Arterial and $1.8 million for the John Deere area and was the project administrator through the Federal Highway Administration. Construction was completed in FY 24.

Key benefits include: • Better Traffic Flow: Expanded road capacity and redesigned intersections.

• Safer Driving: Realigned lanes, larger turning radii, and new roundabouts to reduce accidents.

• Improved Freight Mobility: Upgraded roadways for smoother freight transport with fewer delays for major freight generators in the region.

• Stronger Connections: Easier access between residential areas, the John Deere facility, and commercial zones.

• Pedestrian Access: Enhanced crosswalks for safer walking.

• Faster Emergency Response: Improved road design speeds up emergency vehicle access.

• Environmental Benefits: Reduced travel delays, lower emissions, and improved air quality.

• Healthier Community: Promoted walking and biking with the improvements.

These upgrades enhance safety, connectivity, and environmental sustainability in the Dubuque region.

Economic Resiliency In FY 24, the City of Dubuque received 2018 Disaster Supplemental Funding of $7.7 million for the Flood Gates/Pumps Construction Project. This project is anticipated to create 150 jobs and a total private investment leveraged of $16.5 million. This is the largest EDA award ECIA has helped a member government to receive.

This EDA investment supports the City of Dubuque with constructing the Bee Branch Stormwater Pumping Station. The project work includes replacing existing flood gates and pumps, constructing one additional new flood gate, and installing an additional back-up generator for pumps. Once completed, the project will help in rebuilding an area historically impacted by extensive flooding, which will lay the groundwork for long-term economic vitality and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.

“Thank you to the ECIA team. We are very grateful for the partnership and excellent collaboration,” Teri Goodmann, Director of Strategic Partnerships, City of Dubuque.

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Empowering Communities ECIA staff are consistently and diligently out in the region, facilitating or attending meetings, and these types of activities include: presenting to City Councils, coordinating the mayors’ meetings, group or oneon-one meetings with city clerks, facilitating USDA trainings, organizing the East Central Iowa Clerks Association (ECICA) bi-annual meetings, attending Greater Dubuque Development (GDDC) meetings and events, and, working side by side with community champions in mostly rural communities through the Keep Iowa Beautiful Hometown Pride program.

324

# of meetings attended/ facilitated by ECIA staff in various capacities during FY 24

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Enhancing our Capacity ECIA staff have the opportunity to attend local, state, and national trainings and conferences (illustrated below). One reason this is important, is that it allows us to share new knowledge with our communities by bringing these local and state speakers to the ECIA region. Additionally, some staff have critical relationships with state and federal officials, and at times, are invited to share their expertise at workshops and trainings.

(5) NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT OFFICIALS

19

# of trainings and conferences attended/ participated by ECIA staff in various capacities during FY 24

(1)

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Sarah Berning, Support Services Manager Ben Cooper, Maintenance Manager Laura Carstens, Senior Planner Dawn Danielson, Brownfields Coordinator (1) Amanda Dupont, Grant Specialist/lnspector Christine Efferding, Homeless Program Coordinator Shelby Eipperle, Homeless Program Coordinator Maria Elgin, Housing Support Specialist Craig Elskamp, Building Code Inspector (2) Kyle Finke, Project Manager/Inspector Daniel Fox, Interim Director of Transportation, Planning & Transit Services (3) Kim Glaser, Community Development Specialist Mike Gomoll, Administrative Services Assistant Denise Hefel, Finance/IT Coordinator Kathy Hoffmann, Receptionist Michelle Huseman, Housing Support Specialist Mark Jobgen, EIRUSS Project Manager Elizabeth Kemp, Rehab Specialist/Building Code Inspector (4) Amber Kelley, RTA Dispatcher Rebecca Kennedy, Finance Accountant Angela Koppes, Lead Inspector Gail Kuhle, Transit Operations Manager Dan LoBianco, Project Manager/Inspector Debbie Maier, Housing Support Specialist Holly McPherson, Director of Human Resources & Program Development Christine Mergen, Finance and Documentation Specialist Mindy Meyers, Family Support Specialist Dylan Michels, Technology and Program Support Specialist Walter Nims, Lead/Building Code Inspector Kristi Oberhoffer, Family Support Specialist Leonard O'Connell, Maintenance Manager Marla Quinn, Grants and Municipal Coordinator Chandra Ravada, Interim Executive Director Carl Reimer, Homeownership/Housing Development Specialist Roseann Sabers, Documentation Specialist Michelle Schnier, Director of Housing & Support Services Jenny Schrobilgen, Family Support Specialist Stacie Scott, Transit Operations Manager Sue Shaull, RTA Dispatcher Caitlin Siemionko, Housing Support Specialist Matt Specht, Director of Community & Economic Development Katie Steffensmeier, Community Outreach & Economic Development Coordinator Steve Stoffel, Director of Finance & Administration Jack Studier, Planner I Tricia Wagner, Grant Writer & Program Development Coordinator Jennifer Walker, Director of Special Programs (5), (6) Mindy Wiley, Housing & Grants Development Coordinator (7)

4 ECIA Award 2 s FY

• IA NAHRO President Service award; demonstrating outstanding effort & achievement in the promotion & success of the chapter, West Des Moines.

• Rural County Transportation Program, 2023 Excellence in Regional Transportation Award, NADO, Washington, DC. • Maquoketa Pocket Neighborhood, Innovative Project Award, ICOG Conference, Des Moines.

• Maquoketa Pocket Neighborhood, National NAHRO award of merit, National NAHRO conference, New Orleans.

(1) Presented EPA Brownfield Assessment funds, financial stacking, project collaborations among key stakeholders with City of West Branch, Iowa League of Cities Annual Conference, Cedar Rapids.

(2) ICC Commercial Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing Inspector.

(3) Member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

(4) IDPH approved training provider for all Iowa leadbased paint professional certifications.

(5) Presented Challenges of Public Housing Authorities Utilizing Continuum of Care Funding, Iowa National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials, Des Moines.

(6) Master Trainer, Association of Fundraising Professionals.

(7) Professional Development Chair, Iowa NAHRO Board.

FY 24 Professional Activities:

Staff

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