Organization: LINCOLN COUNTY ECONOMIC
Mission: TO OPERATE EXCLUSIVELY FOR SOCIAL WELFARE PURPOSES, SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR LINCOLN COUNTY.
Activities: Statement of accomplishments for our three largest program services for 2019.2019 Key Program 1: Broadband Expansion and ImprovementThe EDC does broadband planning and service tracking for rural Lincoln County. We believe that faster, more reliable internet service is critical to our economy and assuring that Lincoln Countys businesses and citizens have access is a priority for us. Lincoln Countys Commissioners agree and partnered with the EDC on a grant application to fund a design-cost analysis of a countywide middle-mile broadband network. The grant was awarded. In September the EDC hosted the Eastern Washington Rural Broadband Workshop which brought over 100 attendees including state and federal agencies, ISPs, utilities, educators, elected officials, and Port District leaders to Lincoln County to discuss issues and solutions regarding rural internet delivery. Internet service providers are few and most serve only small portions of Lincoln County. The EDC maintains and publishes a list of internet service providers to help businesses and residents find the best possible provider for their location and bandwidth needs. The EDC works closely with providers to assure that they dont experience barriers to expansion.2019 Key Program 2: Municipal Water SystemsBusinesses cannot thrive in a community that does not deliver clean water and sanitary sewer services, but meeting that goal is difficult. Our small communities must comply with the same expensive state regulations as large cities. Additionally, our small communities face the same issue other entities face - training and certifying staff only to see them move on to larger communities with larger budgets. In 2019 the EDC coordinated an effort to explore formal regionalization of our municipalities to determine if benefits could be achieved. Regionalization is about collaboration, not consolidation, and the collaboration has already resulted in a mutual aid agreement among six communities and utility asset management training for system operators and elected officials. This project is ongoing and has garnered statewide attention from agencies and from other rural counties struggling with the same issues.2019 Key Program 3: Business Creation, Retention, and ExpansionMany activities performed by the EDC directly or indirectly benefit the local economy. A large portion of Lincoln County is now a federal Opportunity Zone and offers tax benefits to new businesses that open there. The EDC contracts with Lincoln County to promote our recreational opportunities to tourists outside of the county and encourage campers, boaters, fishing enthusiasts, and houseboat vacationers to spend their leisure time and discretionary income here in Lincoln County. The EDC uses social media to promote local businesses through projects like our Shop Local for the Holidays Facebook event. In 2019 the EDC hosted the 6th annual Local Business Plan Challenge at Wilbur-Creston High School to engage students in a discussion about local business creation. The EDC maintains Available Commercial Properties lists on our website and on the Washington State Department of Commerce website to help place businesses in empty storefronts. The EDC also provides one-on-one assistance to Lincoln County businesses.
NTEE category: Community Improvement & Capacity Building
Secondary category: Housing & Shelter