Five people to lead Jasper steering committee for EDD

Five people have been chosen to represent Jasper County’s steering committee in the Central Iowa Economic Development District, which could assist the region’s cities and counties with federal grant applications to better their respective communities or recoup losses incurred from natural disasters.

The steering committee consists of: Alliant Energy Key Account Manager Amanda Accola, JEDCO Executive Director Jeff Davidson, Newton Development Corporation Associate Director Tanya Michener, Jasper County Supervisor Brandon Talsma and Colfax City Administrator Wade Wagoner.

JEDCO Board of Directors unanimously approved the additions of Talsma and Wagoner at its April 20 meeting.

Earlier this year, Davidson told the Jasper County Board of Supervisors that Central Iowa — and the county, by extension — has never been able to maintain a council of governments, which often operate economic development districts. This meant Jasper County missed out on crucial funds.

“Because we don’t have a council of governments in Central Iowa, we were ineligible for $475,000 of COVID disaster assistance money that every other economic development district in the state received,” Davidson said. “We did not receive it because we don’t have an economic development district.”

Des Moines Metropolitan Planning Organization got the Central Iowa counties together, Davidson added, to create an economic development district so that next time a disaster comes around the county can be eligible for federal assistance. The district can also serve another purpose.

“There are some administrative funds they can carve out … and used for a staff person, who would be at the Des Moines Metropolitan Planning Organization, that could potentially help us with (Community Development Block Grant) …and (Economic Development Administration) applications.”

Davidson said federal grant application process “will make you wish you’d never been born,” so having that kind of assistance would be a great thing.

The Central Iowa Economic Development District would be made up of the following counties: Boone, Dallas, Story, Jasper, Polk, Marion and Warren.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com