Amy Baldwin, Otter Tail County

Otter Tail Community Development Agency advancing growth

For the last number of years, Otter Tail County Commissioners have been reviewing how it could further support the growth of the county. The Rural R e b o u n d I n i t i a t i v e (RBI) was launched in 2017, with the focus on developing s t r a t e g i e s around att r a c t i n g , developing, and retainAMY BALDWIN Otter Tail County ing the workforce in Otter Tail County. This led to discussions on how to further support the availability of the critical infrastructure needed to support the RBI efforts including housing, child care, broadband and outdoor recreation facilities.

That ultimately resulted in the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners convening a committee of public and private sector stakeholders from throughout the county to review options for the structure of an added effort. After completing its work, this committee provided a recommendation to the

SUBMITTED PUSHING ADVANCMENT: A view of Otter Tail Lake from the past. The Otter Tail Community Development Agency looks to keep advancing the county into the future.

county board.

From that recommendation, the county established a Community Development Agency (CDA) in late 2018. The CDA is a local government agency governed by a nine-member board of commissioners who began meeting in early 2019. The board consists of: Chair David Schornack, Vice Chair Jeff Ackerson, Dena Johnson, Val Martin, Dave Ripley, Betsy Roder and Greg Swanberg plus county commissioners Doug Huebsch and Lee Rogness.

The primary purpose of the CDA is to strengthen the 22 cities and 62 townships in Otter Tail County by: • Expanding housing opportunities. • Promoting business development. • Fostering coordination of public and private resources.

The work of the CDA is intended to be complementary, additive and supportive to existing efforts underway throughout the county.

As the CDA board began meeting, it saw a need to further understand the demographics of Otter Tail County and how it compares to its peer counties. An analysis was completed in partnership with the Minnesota

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Department of Employment and Economic Development data analysis team.

The comparison looks at areas including: • Population Growth and Change • Self sufficiency. • Workforce. • Economic base. • Broadband availability.

These areas will continue to be tracked and used as indicators to help inform the work of the CDA into the future.

The CDA board also determined that a specific focus on the area of housing growth is a priority. The board has identified the following key principles to use as it considers how housing development and investment can increase throughout the county: • Expanding housing development is a priority county wide. • Challenges with housing development are multifaceted and complex. • Community support and understanding is critical. • Partnerships are key. • Success requires an innovative and progressive approach.

Preliminary goals include: • Increasing the construction of new housing units to meet the various needs of household types and income levels. • Building partnerships with and expanding the capacity of nonprofit organizations, community partners, and private developers to collectively respond to the housing challenge. • Advocating for increased funding and support of housing at the state and federal levels. • Seeking funding opportunities to encourage new housing development, ownership opportunities and reinvestment.

Additionally, the CDA will be launching the Community Growth Partnership grant program in the fall of 2019. The program is focused on supporting local initiatives around the areas of redevelopment, affordable housing and commercial rehabilitation.

To learn more about the efforts of the Community Development Agency, contact Amy Baldwin, community development director, at 218-998-8050 or abaldwin@co.ottertail.mn.us.

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