Economic Resilience

Introduction

The East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (ECWRPC) was designated as an Economic Development District (EDD) in 1984 by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA). As part of this designation, the EDA requires ECWRPC to integrate economic resilience into its Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). This webpage provides resources that support regional economic resilience.

Small Community Technical Assistance

The Small Community Technical Assistance program provided support to 12 communities between 2021 and 2022 across the East Central Wisconsin EDD. Following a Request for Qualifications, ECWRPC and a core team selected Ayres Associates Inc. to implement the program in 2021. The program provided communities with full-day, project specific workshops to address the economic impacts of COVID-19 in the particular community. Each workshop was designed to first identify project specific challenges and priorities in order for the consultant to develop a solution or concept for the community by the end of the session. Workshop activities consisted of visioning sessions, downtown walkabouts, zoning consultations, and project collaborations to develop conceptual site plans, provide recommendations for change, or identify funding opportunities.

Building on the success of the program in 2021 and 2022, ECWRPC secured funding to implement the continuation of the Small Community Technical Assistance Program in 2023. After a Request for Qualifications, ECWRPC and a core team selected Ayres Associates Inc. to implement the program in 2023. Following the successful format of previous year, Ayres Associates staff distributed a competitive application for the program and received ten applications. A competitive review process coordinated between Ayres Associates staff, ECWRPC, and the core team resulted in four communities selected to receive assistance in 2023. The four communities received an array of technical assistance during the week of October 9th included downtown walkabouts, visioning sessions, sketches, and recommendations for positive change related to the community’s specific project. Following the workshops, Ayres provided reports summarizing the results of the technical assistance in each community.

2023 Small Community Technical Assistance Final Report
2022 Small Community Technical Assistance Final Report
2021 Small Community Technical Assistance Final Report

Resources

Disaster Recovery and Economic Resiliency Plan | 8 MB

Business Continuity Planning

FEMA Website – https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/89510
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) website – https://ibhs.org/guidance/business-continuity/
Ready.gov website – https://www.ready.gov/business-continuity-plan

Community Economic Recovery

Guidebook created by WEDC in collaboration with Wisconsin Regional Planning Commissions – https://sites.google.com/a/schoolfactory.org/recovery/

Disaster Declarations

FEMA website – https://www.fema.gov/disasters/state-tribal-government/0/WI

Disaster Recovery

EDA website – https://www.eda.gov/disaster-recovery/

Economic Resilience

EDA website – https://www.eda.gov/resources/comprehensive-economic-development-strategy/content/economic-resilience
National Association of Counties Guidebook – https://www.naco.org/sites/default/files/documents/Strategies%20to%20Bolster%20Economic%20Resilience.pdf

Emergency Management

Wisconsin Emergency Management website – https://dma.wi.gov/DMA/wem

Ready Campaign – Wisconsin

Ready Wisconsin website – https://readywisconsin.wi.gov/

Restoring the Economy

EDA funded website – https://restoreyoureconomy.org/index.php

County-level Emergency Management in the ECWRPC Economic Development District

Calumet County – https://www.co.calumet.wi.us/148/Emergency-Management
Fond du Lac County – https://www.fdlco.wi.gov/departments/departments-a-e/communications-and-emergency-management
Green Lake County – https://www.co.green-lake.wi.us/departments/emergency-management/
Marquette County – http://www.co.marquette.wi.us/departments/emergency-management
Outagamie County – https://www.outagamie.org/government/departments-a-e/emergency-management
Shawano County – https://www.co.shawano.wi.us/departments/?department=ccd09df1cddb
Waupaca County – https://www.co.waupaca.wi.us/departments/emergency_management/index.php
Waushara County – https://www.co.waushara.wi.us/pView.aspx?id=13564&catid=636
Winnebago County – https://www.co.winnebago.wi.us/emergency-management

County-level Public Health Departments in the ECWRPC Economic Development District

Opportunity Zones

Per the IRS, an Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Localities qualify as Opportunity Zones if they have been nominated for that designation by the state and that nomination has been certified by the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury via his delegation of authority to the Internal Revenue Service. Opportunity Zones were added to the tax code by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on December 22, 2017. East Central does not play an active role in this program but we want to share information about Opportunity Zones that fall within the East Central region. Please contact the local community for specific opportunities.

Opportunity Zones | 1 MB
Opportunity Zone - Appleton | 761 KB
Opportunity Zone - Berlin | 1,014 KB
Opportunity Zone - Fond du Lac | 2 MB
Opportunity Zone - Menasha Neenah | 2 MB
Opportunity Zone - Oshkosh | 1 MB
Opportunity Zone - Shawano | 1 MB

Links/Resources for Opportunity Zones

Internal Revenue Service (IRS )

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/opportunity-zones-frequently-asked-questions

Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA)

http://www.weda.org/federal-government-approves-wisconsin-opportunity-zone-designations/

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)

https://wedc.org/programs-and-resources/development-opportunity-zone-tax-credit/

Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA)

https://www.wheda.com/Opportunity-Zones/