|  | |  | The Southern Iowa Council of Governments will be holding the Annual SICOG meeting on Tuesday, March 27, 2024, at approximately 1:00 p.m. at the SICOG office in Creston, Iowa. The Southern Iowa Development Group will host the Annual SIDG meeting immediately following the SICOG meeting. The Southern Iowa COG Housing Trust Fund will host the Annual SICOGHTF meeting immediately following the SIDG meeting. | |  | As always, SICOG provides an un-exhaustive list of grants to generate ideas about possible projects and provide funding guidance. Grant funding sources are increasingly interested in creative solutions to problems and many are willing to support not just construction but also operations. If your community has a problem that outside funding might address, then please contact your SICOG office. We would be glad to help and can attend a local meeting at no cost to discuss the project or idea. There are many other sources, so if you have project, please contact us. | | | Keep Iowa Beautiful Now Accepting Applications for New 2024 Hometown Pride Communities |
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| Is your town grappling with challenges such as populations decline, neglected spaces, or leadership burnout? Keep Iowa Beautiful invites communities like yours to join our Hometown Pride program, a proven initiative designed to revitalize and strengthen local communities.
Hometown Pride, a Keep Iowa Beautiful initiative, has already empowered 107 Iowa towns. These communities have completed over 1,500 projects, raising millions of dollars for community betterment. |
| Hometown Pride empowers your community to: Cultivate Local Leadership: Develop a new generation of leaders passionate about the well-being of your town. Enhance Community Amenities: Create and improve local facilities and spaces that contribute to a vibrant and attractive community. Foster Civic Pride: Cultivate a sense of belonging and price among residents. Boost Economic Vitality: Improved leadership, amenities and pride will make your community more attractive and supportive for businesses.
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| Communities interested in being apart of Hometown Pride are invited to submit a Statement of Interest by May 8. The Statement of Interest should be an overview of your communities current discussions, indicating your readiness to embark on the Hometown Pride journey. Please reach out to Lorin Ditzler at lditzler@keepiowabeautiful.com before the deadline to discuss your interest in joining. | | | Gov. Reynolds announces $1 million to support Credentials for Child Care Careers grant program | Governor Reynolds announced $1 million in initial funding for competitive grants available through the Iowa Department of Education to support school districts that partner with or create local child care centers to help more high school students earn a national child development credential. With 246 districts across Iowa currently offering family and consumer science pathways as part of their career and technical education, the new Credentials for Child Care Careers grant will help schools support a strong child care pipeline.
The Child Development Associate (CDA) credential is a nationally recognized credential in early childhood education awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition, a leader in the credentialing of early childhood educators worldwide. Obtaining the CDA credential requires coursework, experience in the field and a demonstration assessment during which the student is observed while working with children. Districts that are awarded funding will receive course curriculum that meets both the professional development requirements outlined by Iowa Health and Human Services for employees of Iowa licensed child care centers and the classroom requirements for a CDA credential. Eligible school districts that partner with a licensed child care center, including school-operated child care programs, can apply for up to $15,000 for each of the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years, for a total of $30,000. Allowable costs include student exam fees, textbooks, CDA course materials, student stipends, licensed child care partner stipends, and other approved expenses that help remove barriers to participation.
Applications for the Credentials for Child Care Careers grant will be accepted in IowaGrants.gov beginning Feb. 29, 2024. The application deadline is noon on March 29, 2024. | | | | | | Planner’s Desk – 10 Iowa Smart Planning Principles | In the coming issues of The Windmill, I’ll cover the 10 Iowa Smart Planning Principles, now codified in Iowa Code Chapter 18B. This month, we’ll cover the ninth one: sustainable design. The Code reads as follows:
“Planning, zoning, development and resource management should promote developments, buildings and infrastructure that utilize sustainable design and construction standards and conserve natural resources by reducing waste and pollution through efficient use of land, energy, water, air and materials.”
Sustainable design is increasingly seen as the best way to design community facilities, infrastructure, housing, and other land development projects. Design should complement local landscapes, topography, soils, water resources, and other environmental features. Design should also include sustainable materials, which include materials that do not degrade the environment and that will last a longtime. |
| Unfortunately, such designs are often more costly upfront, and it is difficult to justify requiring private developers to use them. To help overcome this, many grant and incentive programs have been created to help communities, developers, and project managers incorporate appropriate design into projects.
All updated zoning and other land use policies and incentive programs should consider “low-hanging fruit” strategies toward this goal. There are many online resources to help leaders develop these ideas, programs, and policies. Iowa has many experts that can also help formulate strategies specific to each community and its local needs.
Sustainable design improves the physical environment, its aesthetics, property values, and our environment. It can also make the community attractive for investors and developers who are committed to sustainable development. Finally, efforts in this area will attract grant funds to the community. |
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| | SICOG Was Busy with FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant Applications | In the latest round of FEMA AFG grants (Program Year 2023,due March 8), SICOG assisted five agencies apply for six grants. These are as follows: Lamoni Fire Department: $45,234.29 for fire personal protective equipment (PPE) Bridgewater Fire Department: $143,010.21 for PPE and communications equipment Prescott Fire Department: $523,809.52 for a pumper truck VanMeter Fire Department: $31,097.14 for PPE Madison County EMS: $323,639.05 for an ambulance Madison County EMS: $59,813.12 for EMS equipment
Certainly, all these projects deserve an award, but funding is very competitive. About a quarter of the applications have been funded in the past few years. We should learn results for these applications this summer. It is not too early to start preparing for next year’s funding round. Contact SICOG to discuss. | | Dexter Receives Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust Grant | If you have a public library and need funding for a larger project, you should consider the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust. This foundation provides grants for public libraries throughout Iowa. Dexter applied for and received an award for $36,500 toward the $182,000 cost of the exterior façade improvement to the building. Congrats to Dexter. Contact SICOG if your library has a project exceeding $50,000 in cost and you would like our assistance with this grant. | | 2024 Iowa Thriving Communities | The Iowa Thriving Communities initiative will provide communities that are leveraging innovative methods to attract housing opportunities for their workforce with a chance to be recognized for their efforts. A limited number of communities will be awarded the designation, which comes with highly sought after scoring bonus points for the Federal Housing Tax Credit and/or Workforce Housing Tax Credit programs. The scoring points will be available through the end of the calendar year following the community’s designation as an Iowa
Communities designated as Iowa Thriving Communities in 2024 are ineligible to apply for the 2025 designation cycle. However, communities may be granted one-year designation extensions, which will be considered on a limited, case-by-case basis. Creston secured this designation for the current year, and that has generated enough interests that anywhere from two to five WFHTC applications will be submitted this year for various projects that can benefit from these bonus points. |
| Developers will be highly incentivized to select a community that has been designated as an Iowa Thriving Community for a proposed development through the 2025 Federal Housing Tax Credit or Workforce Housing Tax Credit programs. Both programs accept applications from developers for specific housing development proposals through an intensive and competitive scoring process. The extra points awarded to a development through the Iowa Thriving Communities designation increase the likelihood that a project may be awarded credits.
All cities in Iowa are eligible to apply for Iowa Thriving Community designation. SICOG is here to help. Applications are due May 15.
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| | SICOG Partnerships 2024 | Platinum ($2,500) *Creston City Water Works *Clarke County Development Corporation *City of Osceola
Diamond ($1,500) *First National Bank of Creston & Afton *Iowa State Savings Bank of Creston & Lenox *Lenox Municipal Utilities
Gold ($1,000) *Corning Municipal Utilities *Garden & Associates, LTD of Creston & Oskaloosa *Greater Regional Health *PCSB of Clarinda, Corning, Creston, Lenox and Mount Ayr
Silver ($500) *American State Bank of Lamoni, Osceola & Winterset *Snyder & Associates, Inc of Ankeny & Atlantic *Southwest Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative of Corning, Mount Ayr & Stanton *Tyler Insurance Services of Creston & Mount Ayr |
| Bronze ($250) *Afton Development Corporation *Akin Building Center of Corning & Creston *City State Bank of Mount Ayr *Clarke County Hospital *Clarke Electrical Cooperative of Osceola *Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Orient, St. Charles & Winterset *First National Bank of Osceola *FNB of Fontanelle & Greenfield *Grundman Insurance Agency of Corning *Lenox Chamber of Commerce *Lenox Development Corporation *R Realty of Creston *Ringgold County Development Corporation *Saylor Realty, LLC of Osceola *Southwestern Community College *Subway of Corning *Union County Development Association *Union State Bank of Greenfield *Union State Bank of Winterset |
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| Interested in becoming a partner?! Call us today at (641) 782-8491 or go to the Partnership page on the SICOG website and fill out the form at the bottom of the page! | | | SICOG Executive Board Minutes- February 6, 2024 | Chairman Jerry Walker called the meeting to order at 1:00p.m. at the SICOG office. The following members were present: Dunbar, Fitch, Friday, Geist, Pantini, Risser, Walker, Wengryn and Zabel.
Staff present: Waddle, Brimm and Comstock.
Risser made a motion to approve the agenda. Fitch seconded the motion, all ayes. Motion carried.
Friday made a motion to approve the minutes of the January 3, 2024, meeting. Dunbar seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried.
Fitch made a motion to approve the financial reports as presented for the month of January. Zabel seconded the motion. All ayes. Motion carried. |
| Other items discussed included: grant report, mold remediation, IFA-HRPP update and county project board meetings.
Risser made a motion to approve the EDA Application resolution as presented. Friday seconded the motion. Roll call votes: Akin- Absent, Davidson- Absent, Dunbar-Aye, Fitch- Aye, Friday- Aye, Geist- Aye, Holmes- Absent, Pantini- Aye, Risser-Aye, Walker- Aye, Wengryn- Aye, and Zabel- Aye. Motion Carried.
Dunbar made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 1:19 p.m. Risser seconded the motion, all ayes. Motion carried.
Minutes Submitted by Comstock |
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| | ATURA Board Meeting- Tuesday, March 12 SICOG Annual Meetings- Wednesday, March 27 SICOG Executive Board Meetings- Tuesday, May 7 ATURA Board Meeting- Tuesday, May 14
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| | SICOG Executive Board Jerry Walker, Chairperson, Adair County Diane Fitch, Vice Chairperson, Madison County Karen Zabel, Secretary, Taylor County Scott Akin, Treasurer, Adams County Randy Dunbar, Clarke County Sam Wengryn, Decatur County Colby Holmes, Ringgold County Rick Friday, Union County Doug Davidson, Private Sector VACANT, Private Sector Raelynne Risser, Private Sector Jodie Geist, Private Sector Wayne Pantini, Member-At-Large |
| SICOG Staff Beth Waddle, Executive Director Judy Brimm, Finance Director Jeremy Rounds, Regional Planner Jessica Hagen, Transportation Planner Terry Niestadt, Regional Planner Kendra Comstock, Planning Tech |
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