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STORIES
380Express Funding Extended Through 2029
The 380Express bus service between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City has seen record ridership recently, and with major road construction in the...
Jul 25, 20251 min read
State of Iowa Looks to Save Money through Joint Procurements
The State of Iowa's IT procurement group is working to understand how local governments and political subdivisions can possibly save time...
Jul 24, 20251 min read
Feedback Requested for New Regional Resilience Plan
ECICOG is coordinating the development of a regional resilience plan, and we are seeking input on strategies to build a pathway to a...
Jul 24, 20251 min read
Grow Your Skills with Strategic Doing Training
ECICOG is offering a second Strategic Doing Training opportunity September 9-10 at the Kirkwood Continuing Education Training Center....
Jul 24, 20251 min read
New Signage Adds Visibility to the Indian Creek Watershed
If you have been driving around Linn County lately, you may have noticed a series of new signs that have popped up identifying the Indian...
Jul 24, 20251 min read
Turbo Talk Sidewalk Assessments
Did you know that ECICOG has completed sidewalk condition assessments for rural communities in our six-county region? ECICOG...
Jul 24, 20251 min read
Tell Us About Your Water Quality Improvement Opportunities!
Is your community looking for grant funds to complete drinking water, wastewater, stormwater management, or water quality improvement...
May 19, 20251 min read
ECICOG Launches Turbo Talks: 30 Minute Virtual Learning Opportunities
Recognizing that local government leaders are juggling a lot of priorities, ECICOG will be hosting an ongoing series of micro-learning...
May 19, 20251 min read
Third CDBG Grant Will Continue Transformation of Anamosa's Downtown
Congratulations to the City of Anamosa, which was recently awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Downtown Revitalization (DTR) grant to support the rehabilitation of 12 façades in their downtown! The City will receive $650,000 to support an estimated $1.8 million project. It is the final of three phases of the City using DTR funding for façade improvements. When this phase is complete, Anamosa will have improved over thirty façades with $1.8 million in CDBG funds
May 19, 20251 min read
Homes for Iowa Webinar to be held on May 21st
Join the Iowa Association of Councils of Governments (ICOG) for an engaging and informative virtual Lunch and Learn to discover the...
May 19, 20251 min read
Tracey Achenbach Receives Prometheus Award
ECICOG Housing Director Tracey Achenbach was honored with the 2025 Prometheus Award from the Iowa Association of Council of Governments...
May 19, 20251 min read
ECICOG Staff Updates and Retirement Party!
Housing Director Tracey Achenbach will retire from ECICOG on June 6th. Help us celebrate her outstanding career at a retirement open...
May 19, 20251 min read
Existing Federal Grants are Still on Track (For Now)
ECICOG’s work has resumed a more normal cadence after the Trump administration issued an Executive Order in late January that temporarily...
Mar 31, 20251 min read
Wellman Awarded $500,000 CDBG Water Sewer Grant
The City of Wellman was recently awarded a $500,000 grant to replace water mains and install fire hydrants and water meters. Wellman is...
Mar 31, 20251 min read
Colonial Lanes Expanding with ECICOG Loan
Iowa City based Colonial Lanes will begin an expansion of their business thanks to a $260,000 loan from ECICOG. The longtime bowling...
Mar 31, 20251 min read
Hills Hometown Pride Mural Nearing Completion
Progress on the Hills Hometown Pride Mural is underway; the mural project is a collaboration between Hills Hometown Pride, the University...
Mar 31, 20251 min read
Save the Date - ECICOG Local Government Recharge Day Set for May 8th
ECICOG will be hosting its annual Local Government Recharge Day on Thursday, May 8 from 9am - 3:30pm at Fireside Winery in Marengo....
Mar 31, 20251 min read
Welcome New ECICOG Board Members
ECICOG welcomed the following new board members in January: Nick Herbold; University Heights City Council Brandy Z. Meisheid; Linn County...
Mar 31, 20251 min read
ISU Hosts Workshops for Local Government Officials
Iowa State Extension will be offering several trainings and workshops that may be beneficial for local government officials. On April...
Mar 31, 20251 min read
March 25th and April 8 Webinars Will Focus on Rural Residential Recruitment and Housing
Greater IC Inc. and Johnson County are hosting two webinars featuring Ben Winchester, Rural Sociologist, and Researcher, discussing...
Mar 31, 20251 min read
Area Communities Receive CDBG Water and Sewer Funding
The cities of Coralville, Olin, and Onslow were recently awarded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Water/Sewer/Stormwater funds. The City of Coralville has been awarded $356,974 to replace undersized water mains and aging, deteriorated sanitary sewer lines along 4th Avenue Place. The project will support the installation of additional fire hydrants and will replace deteriorating sewer infrastructure to prevent leaks and groundwater infiltration. The City of Olin was
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First Time Homebuyer Programs Helping Local Families
The East Central Iowa Housing Trust Fund recently received funding to offer up to $35,000 in down payment and/or closing costs assistance for low-to-moderate income (LMI) first time homebuyers, with the ability to use some of that assistance for minor repairs. This program is unique, offering a higher amount of assistance across a wider service area than any other program in the region. ECICOG also assisted the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County and the Housing Fund for Lin
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Summer Turbo Talks
Check out ECICOG's upcoming Turbo Talks. Turbo Talks are brief, free, informative sessions for communities in East Central Iowa. August 20th, 1:30: Derelict Building Grant Program. Register here. September 15th, 1:00: Faster Answers in Ely with AI. Register here. October 15th, 1:30: Regional Transportation Funding - Pre Application Workshop. Register here. Check out previous sessions here.
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