FY 2024
C
Serving Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, and Jackson counties for 50 years
Our Mission
The mission of ECIA is to empower communities and their people through sustainable partnerships; promoting equity and inclusivity; and providing services to enhance the quality of life in the region.
FY 24 Governance
The ECIA Council is a 30-member group comprised of six members from each of the five counties. Four are from the public sector, two from the private sector. There is also a nine-member Executive Committee that makes recommendations to the ECIA Council to act on or discuss. There are also separate boards for other entities under the ECIA umbrella.
Brad Gaul, Supervisor
Jeff Kaufmann, Supervisor
Cedar County Clinton County Delaware County
Roger Laughlin, Mayor, West Branch
Rod Ness, Executive Director, Cedar County Economic Development
Andrew Oberbreckling, Mayor, Mechanicsville
Derek Olberding, Vice President, Fidelity Bank
Brian Wagner, Vice Chair, City Manager, Tipton
Erin George, Supervisor
Steve Hasenmiller, Mayor, City of DeWitt
Brian Kelly, President, Clinton Community College, Eastern IA CC
Steve Lindner, City Administrator, City of DeWitt
Scott Maddasion, Mayor, City of Clinton *
Shannon Sander-Welzien, Executive Director, Clinton YMCA
Donald Thiltgen, Retired
Jeremiah Wiese, Mayor, City of Wheatland *
Connie Behnken, Mayor, City of Manchester *
Elise Bergan, Director, Edgewood Development Corporation
Linda Gaul, City Clerk, City of Earlville
Shirley Helmrichs, Supervisor
Jeff Madlom, Supervisor
Sarah Maurer, Mortgage & Consumer Loan Officer, GNB Bank
Timothy Vick, City Manager, City of Manchester
County Jackson County
Brad Cavanagh, Mayor, City of Dubuque *
Harley Pothoff, Supervisor
Wayne Kenniker, Supervisor
Annette Ernst, City Administrator, City of Peosta
Beth Bonz, Chair, City Manager, City of Asbury *
Jason Neises, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager, City of Dubuque *
Chuck Niehaus, Chair, EIRHA/EIRHC *
Sheryl Ganzer, City Administrator, City of Preston
Tom Roth, City Council, City of Bellevue
Mike Steines, Supervisor
Don Schwenker, Supervisor
Matt Tranel, 1st Vice President, Maquoketa State Bank
Jack Willey, Retired *
Tom Messerli, Mayor, City of Maquoketa
Joshua Boldt, City Manager, City of Maquoketa
Teresa Weinschenk, City Administrator, City of Bellevue
* Executive Committee Member
Sources of Funds Expenditures
A Year of Realization
ECIA celebrated its 50th anniversary in fiscal year 2024. We have always supported businesses, communities, and individuals in a variety of ways for most of those years, but a common theme we have realized is how we are addressing the housing crisis across the spectrum with existing activities as well as programs that have surfaced over the years.
Shelter is a basic human need. Studies show that when people have decent and safe housing, they thrive. ECIA is addressing this need in many, varied ways.
Transforming aging housing stock. For example, staff are currently managing over 100 properties in the region through our ECIA Home Repair Program, where they facilitate lead paint mitigation, implement safety modifications for older adult homeowners, and address other barriers to a healthy home.
Connecting the homeless to affordable housing. The housing crisis continues to be the principal cause of homelessness, but Community Solutions of Eastern Iowa (CSEI) staff are working with more and more property owners and developers who are interested in partnering with CSEI to secure affordable housing.
Income based housing. Providing individuals and families access to income-based housing and selfsufficiency programs through the Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Authority (EIRHA) has been a staple of our programing for decades. The housing department has also had a robust Housing Trust Fund for 10 years and was awarded over $500,000 in January to continue the work of developing or preserving housing for low-income households across the spectrum of housing needs.
Housing rehab and new construction. Staff consistently work on a variety of Iowa Economic Development Authority grants such as Community Catalyst, CDBG Housing Rehabilitation, Workforce Housing Tax Credit for Cities to work with developers or property owners to rejuvenate vacant buildings into new housing units.
As you will see further in this report, a lot of our work ties back to housing in one way or another.
ECIA leadership is finishing up a marketing and outreach plan which includes a new ECIA presentation and a video. We will also be increasing our outreach in the region and meet in person with councils and city clerks about the benefits and impact of ECIA and also get feedback of how we are doing via a survey.
In January, Kelley Deutmeyer, who grew ECIA into what it is today, officially retired after nearly 23 years of dedicated service. The graph to the right is just a snapshot and result of her vision and tenacity for ECIA. In January 2025, the Executive Director search will resume, and by May, ECIA will have a new leader in place.
Ten Years of Growth
Turning Blight into Mixed Use
In FY 24, work continued on West Branch’s Heritage Hill Development, to construct 75 housing units, on the former Croell Redi-Mix site. This vacant brownfield was purchased by the City in 2016 and utilized $72,760 of ECIA’s EPA Brownfield Assessment funds and an IA DNR Derelict Building grant of $94,270. The developer received Workforce Housing Tax Credits for the first three phases (the 75 units underway) totaling $2.45 million, along with TIF and Tax abatement for up to 10 years. The developer plans to apply for tax credits for Phase 4 in 2025 for construction of the remaining housing units. The entire project consisting of 85-100 housing units plus commercial units is anticipated to be completed by 2026. Total project cost anticipated to exceed $21 million.
Thoughtfully designed, each unit features full stainless kitchens, walk in closets, in unit washer and dryer, and luxury vinyl plank flooring throughout the entire home. The development is located next to a beautiful park and the Hoover Nature trail.
ECIA provides technical and financial assistance (when available) in order to assess, cleanup, and reuse potential brownfield sites throughout the five-county region of Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, and Jackson Counties. For more information, visit https://www.ecia.org/brownfields/index.php
Making Homes Safer
ECIA’s Home Repair Program administers three federal grants to make existing homes safe and healthy. A disabled Earlville homeowner and her house were impacted in FY 24 in the following ways by the program: Lead hazard control work of $22,000 was completed consisting of exterior and interior paint stabilization on doors, trim, baseboards, window components, stairwells, along with additional back porch and laundry room renovation. Healthy Homes funds of $4,850 were also used for smoke alarms and CO detectors, ADA compliant ramp, new water heater, and GFCI outlets.
However, the home still needed major bathroom renovation to make it safer for the disabled occupant. That’s when ECIA Home Repair Program administrators turned to EIRHA’s Housing Trust Fund (HTF) program administrator and $13,500 was utilized from the HTF to totally renovate the bathroom including walk in shower, new vanity and flooring, and updated plumbing and fixtures.
This was truly a team effort for the best possible result of facilitating needed improvements so this homeowner can be confident and safe in her home.
ECIA staff administers the following HUD grants: Lead Paint and Healthy Homes Program (LPHH), Older Adults Home Modification Program (OAHMP), Healthy Homes Program (HH), and the IFA Housing Trust Fund. For more information, visit: https://www.ecia.org/programs/ecia_home_repair_program.php and https://www.eirha.org/programs___services/housing_trust_fund.php.
First Home
When families have stable housing, they are more likely to thrive. People utilizing ECIA’s housing assistance have access to self-sufficiency programs which are designed to promote employment and offer them an opportunity to save money, and in some cases, they may ultimately purchase a house of their own. Below is a story from an individual who took advantage of this program during FY 24:
“When I first moved here, I didn’t know anything about the Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) program. A case manager came to my house, spoke with me about it, and I took a chance. I set a goal to improve my credit and one day own a house of my own. Over time I was able to improve my credit and learn more about home ownership.
Over time, I began to see progress. I obtained a job that paid more and allowed me to work from home so I could provide care for my children. My money management skills have improved immensely, and I’ve learned how to budget properly and save.
I am proud to say that I’m selfsufficient and thriving. My family is doing well, and we are building a brighter future. All thanks to the FSS program that gave me that initial push to start achieving my goals.”
EIRHA was established in 1978 to meet the housing needs of low and moderate-income families and the elderly and serves seven counties: Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones, and Scott County in Eastern Iowa. For more information, www.eirha.org.
Sheltering the Most Vulnerable
Community Solutions of Eastern Iowa (CSEI) connected with Sarah during her shelter stay during FY 24. She had been at the shelter for four months after fleeing from domestic violence. She had been separated from her children, who were living with family temporarily so they could remain in school. With the help of her caseworker, Sarah quickly found housing for her family. Within the three months that Sarah was enrolled in the program, she obtained food stamps, secured a job, and saved enough money to purchase a reliable vehicle. Sarah now works in a care provider role at a local agency and credits her ability to serve people in need because of the opportunities she’s received through CSEI’s Rapid Rehousing program. Although she recognizes that there is more work to do, with the help of CSEI’s support services, Sarah has begun to stabilize her family after homelessness.
“I owe a huge thank you to the staff. They helped feel like I wasn’t alone and always had support. I worked hard to get to this point. Now, I need to work harder to stay. Just because I’m mostly back on my feet doesn’t mean I can just stop. There are still mountains to climb.”
CSEI promotes and encourages public well-being; provides homeless prevention resources to those living in poverty and threatened with homelessness; helps individuals and families survive and exit homelessness; and expands opportunities and empowers people to be self-sufficient in east central Iowa cities and counties. For more information, visit www.cseiowa.org.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Leffler CSEI @HOME Photovoice
Developing More Housing
Colesburg received its first ever $100,000 Community Catalyst Building Remediation (Catalyst) grant at the start of FY 24 and currently, work is in progress on a prominent old stone building, constructed in 1860, that serves as a gateway to the downtown from the north. This is a classic Catalyst project because it checks off one of the top program criteria; it creates upper story housing. Project work includes rehabbing the vacant storefront and converting the existing upper story 2-bedroom apartment into two, 2-bedroom apartments, rehabbing both. The total project cost is $224,337. Not only is this grant the first for this community, it’s the first in Delaware County.
ECIA staff provides assistance to communities for services they do not have the capacity to do such as community facility grant writing and administration, housing rehabilitation, building inspections, and more. For more information, visit https://www.ecia.org/programs/community_development_and_city_ and_technical_services/index.php.
Connecting Kids to Life’s Destinations
Low-income families struggle with many barriers, especially transportation. Getting kids from their homes to their essential daily destinations can be difficult and stressful. This is where ECIA’s transit division, the Region 8 Regional Transit Authority (RTA), can help and offer free rides to kids 15 and under.
One example, during FY 24, of kids needing help with daily transportation is Penn Place apartments in Dubuque, where the bulk of the families who live there are low income and parents are non-English speaking. Kids eventually need to cross four-lane John F Kennedy Rd and if they are walking to their destination for the day, it’s a safety issue. Kids can schedule their own rides through the QRYDE online portal and families can have peace of mind that their loved ones are getting to their destinations safely.
Note from the author: This was hard to write because the DOT frowns on school transportation. And I don’t know how to make it fit with the overall housing theme.
ECIA’s transit division, the Region 8 Regional Transit Authority, provides accessible, safe, convenient, and efficient transportation for all citizens in the cities, communities and rural areas of Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson Counties to enhance their quality of life. For more information, visit https://www.rta8.org/
Creating a Sense of Place
Seven staff coach communities in Delaware, Dubuque, and Jackson Counties through the Keep Iowa Beautiful (KIB) Hometown Pride (HP) program helping to facilitate quality of life projects and events. Towns across the region are looking to offer quality, affordable recreation and activities for its current citizens, but also top-notch amenities to attract new families to live.
20 trees for Luxemburg’s City park in association with a new trail project. Total cost: $2,500
New Vienna’s $100,000 Catalyst grant for a private contractor to restore a historic downtown building. Total cost: $238,500
Planning for Housing
When communities need direction on planning for the future, they often turn to the comprehensive planning process. A comprehensive plan presents a shared vision for the future, with long-range goals and objectives for all activities that affect growth and development of the community. It is a 20-year policy guide shaped by public input that covers a wide range of issues. The process involves reviewing existing conditions as well as issues and opportunities in the following planning elements: Community Facilities and Services; Infrastructure and Utilities; Transportation; Economic Development; Housing; Agriculture and Natural Resources; Parks, Recreation, Cultural Resources; Hazard Mitigation; and, Land Use.
Jackson County, with the expertise of ECIA, adopted its first comprehensive plan in FY 24.
The Plan’s housing chapter analyzes the existing housing situation in Jackson County, identifies key housing related issues, and recommends actions that the county and its partners can take to achieve its vision for the future. The following goals came out from this portion of the Plan: Provide affordable housing to make Jackson County attractive for young workers; Increase and diversify housing options throughout Jackson County, and Provide more housing options for seniors.
The Board of Supervisors now has a guide for future decision making and to achieve this shared vision, will actively work to incorporate the Plan’s recommendations into its budgets, policies, and ordinances. With additional research, analysis, and public input, Jackson County may see more housing options in the future.
ECIA Transportation and Planning provides technical services to communities in the following areas. Comprehensive plans, Trail planning, and Census data collection and interpretation. For more information, visit www.eciatrans.org
Sarah Berning, Support Services Manager
Ben Cooper, Maintenance Manager (1)
Laura Carstens, Senior Planner
Dawn Danielson, Development Coordinator and Brownfields Project Manager (2)
Amanda Dupont, Grant Specialist/lnspector
Christine Efferding, Homeless Program Coordinator
Shelby Eipperle, Homeless Program Coordinator
Maria Elgin, Housing Support Specialist (1)
Craig Elskamp, Building Code Inspector (3)
Kyle Finke, Project Manager/Inspector
Daniel Fox, Interim Director of Transportation, Planning & Transit Services (4), (5)
Kim Glaser, Community Development Specialist
Gomoll, Mike, Administrative Services Assistant
Denise Hefel, Finance/IT Coordinator
Kathy Hoffmann, Receptionist
Michelle Huseman, Housing Support Specialist (1)
Mark Jobgen, EIRUSS Project Manager
Elizabeth Kemp, Rehab Specialist/Building Code Inspector (6)
Amber Kelley, RTA Dispatcher
Rebecca Kennedy, Finance Accountant
Angela Koppes, Lead Inspector
Gail Kuhle, Transit Operations Manager
Dan LoBianco, Project Manager/Inspector
Debbie Maier, Housing Support Specialist (1)
Holly McPherson, Director of Human Resources & Program Development
Christine Mergen, Finance and Documentation Specialist
Mindy Meyers, Family Support Specialist (1)
Dylan Michels, Technology and Program Support Specialist
Walter Nims, Lead/Building Code Inspector
Kristi Oberhoffer, Family Support Specialist (1)
Leonard O'Connell, Maintenance Manager (1)
Marla Quinn, Grants and Municipal Coordinator
Chandra Ravada, Interim Executive Director (5)
Carl Reimer, Homeownership/Housing Development Specialist (1), (8)
Roseann Sabers, Documentation Specialist
Michelle Schnier, Director of Housing & Support Services (1), (7), (8)
Jenny Schrobilgen, Family Support Specialist (1)
Stacie Scott, Transit Operations Manager
Sue Shaull, RTA Dispatcher
Caitlin Siemionko, Housing Support Specialist (1)
Matt Specht, Director of Community & Economic Development
Katie Steffensmeier, Community Outreach & Economic Development Coordinator
Steve Stoffel, Director of Finance & Administration
Jack Studier, Planner I
Tricia Wagner, Grant Writer & Program Development Coordinator
Jennifer Walker, Director of Special Programs (9), (10)
Mindy Wiley, Housing & Grants Development Coordinator (1), (11)
Staff
FY24 Professional Activities:
(1) IA NAHRO President Service award; demonstrating outstanding effort & achievement in the promotion & success of the chapter, West Des Moines.
(2) Presented EPA Brownfield Assessment funds, financial stacking, project collaborations among key stakeholders with City of West Branch, Iowa League of Cities Annual Conference, Cedar Rapids.
(3) ICC Commercial Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing Inspector.
(4) Member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
(5) Rural County Transportation Program, 2023 Excellence in Regional Transportation Award, NADO, Washington, DC.
(6) IDPH approved training provider for all Iowa lead-based paint professional certifications.
(7) Maquoketa Pocket Neighborhood, Innovative Project Award, ICOG Conference, Des Moines.
(8) Maquoketa Pocket Neighborhood, National NAHRO award of merit, National NAHRO conference, New Orleans.
(9) Presented Challenges of Public Housing Authorities Utilizing Continuum of Care Funding, Iowa National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials, Des Moines.
(10) Master Trainer, Association of Fundraising Professionals.
(11) Professional Development Chair, Iowa NAHRO Board.
East Central Intergovernmental Association
Serving Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, and Jackson Counties
ECIA
