STORIES

ECICOG wrote a CDBG Water/Sewer grant application for the City of Marengo to fund improvements to their wastewater treatment facility. The application was successful, and Marengo was awarded $500,000 for this project in April 2024. The wastewater treatment facility improvements will include aerated lagoon infrastructure upgrades and the addition of UV disinfection to reduce effluent levels of E. coli. It will also include the construction of a new force main to discharge trea

ECICOG is seeking proposals from qualified professionals to support implementation of the region’s comprehensive economic development strategy, known as Envision East Central Iowa (EECI). To ensure consideration, please submit your proposal by 5pm CST on June 10, 2024. View full RFP Description here: EMPLOYMENT | ECICOG

ECICOG will be hosting a local government gathering on Thursday, May 16 from 9am-3:45pm at Fireside Winery Marengo. The recharge event is...

ECICOG recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with the completion of an office expansion/remodel project. After eight new staff members...

ECICOG will be hosting a local government gathering onThursday, May 16 from 9am-3:30pm at Fireside Winery Marengo. The recharge event is...

The Eastern Iowa Health Center recently opened a dental health clinic and utilized a $500,000 loan from ECICOG to purchase needed...

Congratulations to the City of Riverside, Iowa on the award of a CDBG Downtown Revitalization (DTR) grant of $590,000. The CBDG-DTR funds...

Do you want to learn more about redeveloping dilapidated and potentially contaminated properties in your community? Join local, state and...

The Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Economic Development Authority have announced the 2nd annual Iowa Thriving Communities...

With an administration building undergoing a major $7 million upgrade, Johnson County recently found itself with excess office furniture...

At the February Board Meeting ECICOG welcomed the following new board members: Bruce Visser, Atkins Mayor Chris Hoffman, North Liberty...

Elected officials and city staff may want to consider one of several workshops being offered through Iowa State University Extension and...

ECICOG is pleased to announce three grants submitted to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (FHLB) Competitive Affordable Housing Program (AHP) on behalf of the region’s housing trust funds were awarded a total $541,236. FHLB received 137 applications and awarded over $46 million to 60 organizations, and only eight Iowa projects were awarded. The Housing Trust Funds contract with ECICOG to administer the grant funds and provide construction management. The grant funds wi

Interested in joining a vanpool or know a business that might benefit from offering transportation assistance for their employees? Join ECICOG and Commute with Enterprise at a lunch and learn event February 6th or 7th to learn how the program works and how it could benefit your company. The Tuesday February 6th event will be held at the Johnson County Health and Human Services Building, and the Wednesday February 7th event will be held at the ECICOG Board Room. Contact ECICOG

Congratulations! to the City of Anamosa on their Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Water/Sewer award! Anamosa applied for CDBG Water/Sewer funding to improve their wastewater treatment plant. The upgrades will include a flow equalization basin to store wastewater for later treatment during peak flow conditions, such as storm events. For this grant ECICOG wrote the application on behalf of the City of Anamosa and will provide grant administration for the project. If y

ECICOG has been awarded a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant of $144,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The award will be used to develop the Eastern Iowa Tri-Region Safety Action Plan for ECICOG and partnering councils of governments: Region 6 Resource Partners and Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission. These 3 COGs, in collaboration with participating communities within their respective planning boundaries, residents, and state an

The Iowa Finance Authority is now accepting applications for the Iowa Home Repair Pilot Program. Critical home repair assistance is available for homeowners unable to obtain or maintain homeowners’ insurance due to the condition of their home or who have fines assessed by a local municipality due to the homeowner's inability to make critical repairs. Assistance is also available for homeowners who need to make accessibility, health-related, or environmental modifications to

ECICOG has a lot of tools that could add value to your community! Take a moment to consider to the following: City Councils are most effective when members share a common game plan. ECICOG staff can help facilitate council goal setting sessions to help bring everyone on the same page. Contact Executive Director Karen Kurt for more information. Does your community suffer from dilapidated rental properties? ECICOG is ready to launch a rental inspection program, following in t

For cities and counties that have expended ARPA funds, the Iowa League of Cities has published some helpful tips on staying compliant. To read about the TIPS and access the full article from the Iowa League of Cities visit their website here. The Leauge of Cities is also hosting a webinar on this topic January 31st at 2:00, which you can register for at this link.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Main Street Iowa program will host application workshops in 2024 for communities interested in applying for Main Street Iowa program designation. The workshops (virtual) will provide an overview of the Main Street Approach™ and Main Street Iowa program, summary of expectations and benefits, the application, competitive designation process and strategies to complete the application. Communities interested in applying are required to