Des Moines metro counties form Economic Development District
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A new Economic Development District (EDD) that includes Polk and six other central Iowa counties was approved last week.
Driving the news: The U.S. Economic Development Administration sent a letter Jan. 26 notifying the Mid Iowa Planning Alliance for Community Development (MIPA) of the designation.
Why it matters: It'll help central Iowa land more federal money, which is particularly important for future disaster recovery efforts.
Details: MIPA is a group of area governments that formed last year and will oversee the EDD.
- The new district also includes Dallas, Warren, Story, Jasper, Boone and Marion counties.
- Local governments will contribute a combined total of $70K a year to help cover administrative costs.
How it works: An EDD allows counties in a geographic area to pool resources and coordinate economic development planning.
- They can better show innovation and competitiveness for grants through regional applications.
By the numbers: The central Iowa counties missed out on $470K of no-match federal pandemic grants because the area previously lacked a regional planning body, according to the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
- Iowa areas with EDDs averaged $25 per person in federal grants from Jan. 2018 through Jan. 2021, compared to $4 in central Iowa, the MPO said.
What's next: MIPA is meeting Tuesday at 10am.