STORIES

ECICOG recently completed a Housing Needs Assessment for the 14 cities within Linn County outside of the metro area. The data revealed that despite relatively low housing costs, affordability is still an issue for many households in the assessment area, driven by various factors unique to each community. The assessment includes a windshield study in each city which revealed a critical need for targeted housing rehabilitation programs to preserve affordable housing and encoura

In 2022, five communities in the ECICOG region joined the Hometown Pride Program, a statewide initiative through Keep Iowa Beautiful in partnership with the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The program is administered in our region by Jessica Walker, the "Community Coach”, to support communities in creating physical, cultural and economic improvements in their towns to increase community pride. Walker works with communities through a five-year comprehensive commitment wit

Through funding made available by ECICOG, the six county transit providers have recently implemented new scheduling and dispatching software to improve their efficiency and operations. The new software replaces decades old software, and will enable the transit providers to free-up staff time, improve bus routes, and make drivers jobs easier by implementing tablets on each bus. In addition, riders will now be able to make electronic payment and receive advanced notice on exact

ECICOG is pleased to welcome J'nae Peterman to the team in the newly created position of Homeless Systems Manager. J’nae previously served as the Director of Housing Services for Waypoint Services. This position is funded by the City of Cedar Rapids and Linn County, and hosted by ECICOG as a creative means to coordinate efforts across multiple jurisdictions in Linn County. J’nae has experience working with ECICOG in her previous role coordinating referrals for the PATCH progr

Join city officials from across the state to learn about the latest trends, acquire practical information and ideas, and learn strategies that are relevant to rural, mid-sized and urban downtown districts. Conference sessions will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cedar Rapids Convention Center, conveniently located near downtown amenities. This premier statewide annual conference for both professionals and volunteers involved in downtown placemaking and preservation-b

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced that Iowa will receive $415 million to deploy affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service and broadband infrastructure. This program is known as the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. An important milestone is approaching with Iowa’s mapping “Challenge Process” set to begin on May 15, 2024. The challenge process gives Iowans an opportunity to correct inaccuracies in the state’s broadband map and helps to

The Iowa DOT is seeking feedback via a survey from Iowa cities and counties to gather input on points of conflict between local governments and railroads, as well as opportunities for new or improved rail service. The information gathered will be used by the Iowa Department of Transportation as part of the State Rail Plan. The survey will be available until June 14th and can be found here. For more information, please contact Transportation Director Mary Rump.

An innovative training opportunity is coming to Cedar Rapids on July 9th that will focus on public sector professionals who want to transform their engagement strategies to positively impact the communities they live in and serve. This in person training serves as an inclusive framework for engagement, collaboration, and discovery that will result in better informed team decisions and actions, with a focus on inclusive conversations that engage all thinking styles. The even

ECICOG recently hosted the first local government recharge event at Fireside Winery near Marengo. The event was focused on the power of...

Frontier Foods is the latest employer in the ECICOG region to partner with the CorridorRides vanpool program. Recently, Frontier Foods employees began using a CorridorRides vanpool to travel to and from work to save money, wear and tear on their personal vehicles and reduce their carbon footprint. CorridorRides partners with Commute by Enterprise to operate a publicly available vanpool program and provides a $500 per month subsidy to each vanpool group to help lower the com

ECICOG is pleased to announce a new revolving loan program for micro entrepreneurs or small businesses. Loans can be used for working capital, furniture, fixtures, and equipment. Up to $10,000 dollars for three years, at 4% interest. This program is available in all six counties with limited funding available with the initial launch. Contact Loan Specialist Robyn Jacobson for additional information or visit the ECICOG RLF Webpage.

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...