GOVERNANCE

Strategy 1:

Increase capacity in regional organizations and local governments to implement the resiliency and recovery plan and better support the overall resiliency of the region.

ABOUT THE OBJECTIVES Economic Development Team

The first strategy for this pillar focuses on implementing the solutions needed to create a more resilient economy that can withstand the shocks and stressors of a pandemic or natural disaster. The recommendations included in the Economic Pillar will need champions to keep those initiatives moving forward. The Economic Development Team will lead the implementation of the action items listed in the Economic Pillar. This team will also need to consistently monitor the economic environment and provide recommendations for future action items and where the region may need to pivot to meet changing economic trends. The Economic Development Team can pursue funding opportunities by creating an inventory of all proposed projects, prioritizing projects for investment, and identifying the resources required. Some of these projects have been identified under the READI program (the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative) and the preparation of the CEDS (Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy) which should be used as a reference. The relationship between this plan and the READI plan is described more on page 20 in the Introduction Chapter. Then the team would need to track grants and assess suitable opportunities. By pooling their resources, knowledge, and experience, they can leverage their technical expertise and their regional strategic position to bring more businesses, industry, and talent to the region. Finally, they can collaborate and coordinate with grant partners to develop applications to fund items such as land acquisition and infrastructure extensions.

Identification of Funding Sources

The second strategy for this pillar focuses on gathering funding sources for communities and providing a central location for residents and businesses to view the multiple options that become available during and after a disaster. Tracking available grants, federal funding, and private/public partnerships was an overwhelming task for many businesses and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The requirements and regulations for the funding sources were revised several times making the entire process confusing to people who were in desperate need of the funding. The IND15RPC region should develop a strategy to identify funding sources, continue to promote grants, government, and compile the sources into a central location, and communicate the central location to residents and businesses in advance of the next pandemic or disaster to reduce the stress and confusion.

Local Resource Hub

Collaboration and coordination are especially important in rural areas when building resilience. With limited staff and resources, cooperation across boundaries can expand the capacity of organizations. Being able to work across boundaries and between government entities allows the area to share resources and knowledge. The LEDOs in the region collaborate regularly but were required to work even more closely during the pandemic to keep current with available resources and new funding sources. Regular dialogue and conversation between LEDOs and with local governments helped to ensure communication of new opportunities or policies was timely and consistent across the region. Many times, the LEDOs and Chambers of Commerce are the front-line responders for businesses with questions during an event like the pandemic or a disaster. The local resource hub seeks to simplify and aid the communication of the different governments and organizations in the area.

Implementation Team

The implementation team will oversee the recovery and resiliency plan action steps to ensure improvements are made throughout the region that strengthen resiliency and each communities’ ability to recover from disasters. The IND15RPC staff should not be the only responsible party for the plan if the region wants to see real movement on action steps. However, the IND15RPC staff can be instrumental in developing an implementation committee with representatives from each county or community. This committee will lead the charge in plan implementation by identifying responsible parties and organizations for key action steps.