210 likes | 342 Views
Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. Regionalism and Resource Allocation. January 18, 2011. OCRA’s Mission Statement.
E N D
Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs Regionalism and Resource Allocation January 18, 2011
OCRA’s Mission Statement To work with local, state, and national partners to provide resources and technical assistance to aid communities in shaping their vision for community/economic development.
Indiana Data Population (est.): 6,423,115 Rural (OMB): 1,387,771 (21%) OCRA-Served: 3,666,475 (57%) (HUD non-entitlement) Family Farms 52,553 % as sole source of income 42.9%
State Challenges • Federal and State budgets will be reduced • Post-stimulus • Disaster recovery • Agency readiness (internal and external)
Local Challenges • Local finances/budgets going through a sea-change -- a perfect storm • Property tax caps • Reliance on other sources such as LOIT • Recession (substantial reduction of income from LOIT, etc.)
Local Challenges (Nationally) • Local Budget ‘Recession’ through 2012 • Declining Federal and State Assistance • (Intergovernmental transfers account for 31% - 55% of local budgets) • Significantly expanding service needs, particularly social services (workforce training)
Paradigm Shift “… Many important challenges demand a regional approach. The nation is increasingly a conglomeration of regional economies and ecosystems that should be approached as such. Federal investments should promote planning and collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries.”
“Given the forces reshaping smaller communities, it is particularly important that … development programs be coordinated with broader regional initiatives. Programs in neighboring zones and within larger regions – some of which connect rural communities to metropolitan regions – should complement each other.”
“Federal programs should reflect better the nation’s ec0nomic and social diversity, both in rural and metropolitan areas. To the extent possible, programs should allow for communities to identify distinct needs and address them in appropriate, strategic ways….” *White House “Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies” August 11, 2009
REGIONAL WILL HAPPEN Whether we like it or not
Federal Initiatives • USDA ‘Great Regions’ Competitive Grants • Regional Strategic Investment Program • Rural Collaborative Investment Program • SBA Regional Cluster Initiative • EDA Regional Innovation Programs/ Inter-agency collaboration • DOL WIRED Regions • Sustainability Planning Grants (DOT, EPA, HUD)
Current State At all levels: (Federal, State, Local) Silo Approaches to Funding Lack of Collaboration
Tactical (Reactive) v. Strategic (Proactive)
Paradigm Shift Strategic Action Collaboration Regional Approaches
OCRA has Re-Tooled • Restructure for internal collaboration • Intra-agency and Inter-agency • Proactively forge partnerships • Coach communities and regions
OCRA Collaborations Disaster funding partnerships with RLF, RD, DNR, etc. Indiana Telehealth Network Partnerships with INDOT Home Town Competitiveness (HTC) ED Working Group Rural Roundtable (OCRA, ISDA, USDA-RD, USDA-FS, Farm Bureau, Purdue, Ball State, Indiana State)
Stellar Communities Collaboration between OCRA, IHCDA, INDOT, RLF Three-year commitment to funding Focus on strategic investment and planning Pilot program Deadline for letter of interest: October 1, 2010
OCRA Regional Activities MUTC Radius Indiana North Central region/EDA
Final Thoughts • The best regions are organic • Regional is contextual • Regional is going to happen • Communities need to be prepared • Collaboration • Strategic Action • Identify their own regional value-added • Community conversations