OCD Progress Report: Partners in Community Development

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OCD Progress Report Partners in Community
Development

• OCD Annual Conference 2002
• June 11-13
• Kissimmee, Florida

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A Year of Progress
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Changes in the Empowerment Programs Family

• In
• 2 Round III Empowerment Zones out of 60
  applicants
• 5 new Champions, so far
• Out
• 2.5 ECs named as Renewal Communities
• 52 Champions at risk of dropping out, letters
  going to State Offices today
• 2 low-performing NCEs

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New Regulations for EZs, ECs CCs!

• Round II
• Round III
• Grant process established
• Expanded explanations for post-designation
  requirements
• Expanded definitions for boards
• Environmental processes in place

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New Tools for Building Boards

• Two sets of the Board Training Materials will be
  mailed to the State Offices this month
• Each set includes
• Community Empowerment Board Training Tapes
  Volumes 1-3
• Facilitators Guide
• Participant Manual

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Training a Key Focus

• Besides this annual conference
• 3 Cornell trainings for RD staff, community
  leaders, 2 more coming this year
• Building a Rural Development Strategy for
  Improving Technical Assistance in Indian Country
  Nebraska State Office has the lead with HQ
  support from OCD

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Keeping Our Programs Accountable

• OCD conducted 15 MCRs since last year
• 13 more planned for this year
• Key findings include
• Field offices sometimes give insufficient
  attention and support to customers
• Need to work closer with community Boards
• Need more field staff for Community Development
  function

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Research Shows Empowerments Benefits

• North Central Regional RD Center doing evaluation
  of EZ/EC
• Interim report completed in October
• summary of findings

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Weve Been Working on the Farm Bill

• Consulted with Congress before passage
• Drafted language
• Consulted with Conference Committee staff
• Law creates Rural Strategic Investment Program
  (RSIP)
• Includes many EZ/EC features
• National Board on Rural America
• Regional Investment Boards
• Planning and Innovation grants
• OCD helping plan the implementation

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National RD Partnership

• NRDP was part of OCD for a year
• OCD helped NRDP stay in business
• Also helped write new law for NRDP
• Farm Bill gives NRDP legislative foundation
• Also removes restrictions on RD participation in
  State RD Councils

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CD Staff Under Pressure

• National Office staff is 2/3 of the level of 18
  months ago
• Field staff
• Fewer staff
• More uncertainty
• Many personnel changes
• Field Staff Restructuring Proposal Practically
  Ignored CD
• OCD responded with vigorous counter-arguments

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CD Human Assets Survey

• All States had survey respondents
• Survey respondents 192
• 55 different titles, 8 occupational series
• 37 staff work more than 86 on CD
• 80 work more than 55 on CD
• Field FTE Ceiling 5072
• Full-time CD staff (gt 45) 96 (1.8)

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Survey Data for the Full-Timers
93 have more than 10 years of service 32 more
than 25 years
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Human CD Resources Are Precious

• 63 EZ/EC/REAPs are being assisted by 82 staff
  with a total FTE commitment of only 17.4 FTEs
• 100 RD staff are giving TA to 190 CC RCAP
  communities but only 12.1 FTEs
• CD TA capacity has been eroded further over the
  past 6 months by collateral duty assignments

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Weve Been Noticed

• OCDs MAP system received PostNewsweek Award for
  Innovative Technology
• MAP featured in several articles in information
  industry press
• OCD made several presentations at information
  industry conferences
• MAP featured on BusinessNow television program

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CD Program Elements

• RD Community Development Program
• EZ/EC, Champions, REAP Zones
• RCAP Communities
• National RD Partnership/State RD Councils
• National Centers of Excellence/Tribal Colleges

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EZ/EC Program Particulars (06/05/02)

• 57 communities in 34 states
• Average poverty rate 36
• 15 million/year Round II grants
• Designations end 2009
• Leveraging ratio of 16.0 (3.5 billion - 1.7
  billion Federal Money
• 29,189 Jobs Created 5,650 houses constructed or
  rehabilitated

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CC Particulars (6/5/02)

• 119 communities in 33 states
• Some are benchmarking their way to success, the
  rest will be notified of the error of their
  ways and de-designated if documentation is not
  forthcoming
• USDA preference points in funding
• 639 million raised, 309 million Federal money
• 2,881 jobs created

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REAP Zones Particulars

• Pilot Program
• Designations end 2005 or 2009
• 5 communities - 2 each in ND and NY and 1 in
  Vermont
• Technical Assistance
• Priority in funding
• Some financial assistance

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National Centers of Excellence/ Tribal Colleges
Program

• Begun in 1997, the National Centers of Excellence
  College/University Partnership Project (NCE) is
  an initiative built around one-year cooperative
  partnerships between eight institutions of higher
  education, the RD State Offices, and rural
  communities with USDA designations.
• Goal Develop and maintain CD projects relevant
  to the community

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NCE Program Participants

• University of Texas-Pan American, Texas
• Somerset Community College, Kentucky
• Heritage College, Washington
• Cankdeska Cikana Community College, North Dakota
• Crownpoint Institute of Technology, New Mexico
• Fort Peck Community College, Montana
• San Diego State University-Imperial Valley,
  California
• California State University, Fresno
• 20,000 each for FY 02

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NCE Particulars

• Developed 177 Partnerships (state, federal,
  local, other Universities, non-profits, small
  business development centers)
• Trained over 20,000 persons in grant writing,
  leadership training, business development and GIS
  Seminars
• Leveraged over 13 Million
• Outreach in the form of videos, newsletters,
  workshops, sponsored events, television programs,
  and newspaper articles

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NCE-Developed Tools Available

• Leadership training modules
• Strategic planning modules
• Business Basics Seminars and Curriculum
• Computer Training Curriculum
• Fact sheets on regional development efforts
• Job assessment Tools

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International Interest in OCD
In-Person Visits over the past 12 months
Over 4000 International Visitors from 37
countries have visited the EZ/EC website

• Australia
• Baltic nations
• Belgium
• Bosnia
• Brazil
• Canada
• China
• Germany
• Ghana

• Hungary
• Israel
• Japan
• Mexico
• Moldova
• New Zealand
• Poland
• Russia
• Taiwan
• Udmurt Republic

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Over the Next Year

• Whats coming in our futures

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For RD Staff

• Improved capabilities using a better MAP system
• TAIS -- Technical Assistance Information System
  will be tested so you can count your technical
  assistance widgets

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For Communities

• More TechNotes in the works
• Tourism
• Grants Management
• Rural Healthcare
• CD in Indian Country
• Business Development Strategies
• Project Implementation
• BMS enhancements (as usual)
• Free-standing BMS
• More Tools from OCD and NCEs

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Community Tourism Project

• Goal Compile and catalog all tourism-related
  attractions and events from all of the
  EZ/EC/CC/REAP communities
• Call letter to communities in two weeks
• Looking for Recreational, Cultural, Historical,
  Ecological, Agricultural, and Alternative Tourism
  Opportunities
• Products
• Web site
• Guidebook
• Loop Tours
• Theme Tours

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New OCD Website
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From This
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To This

• New look!
• More frequent updates
• Easier to find key features
• Search capability
• RD seal of approval

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To This
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The Free Standing BMS

• A New Tool for ALL Rural Communties!

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Free-Standing BMS

• PCbased BMS functionality on a CD-ROM (Tastes
  Great Less Filling)
• Available for all rural customers
• Same great reporting capabilities
• Same great accountability features
• Same great strategic plan information management
  functions

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Free-Standing BMS (Screen shot 1)
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Free-Standing BMS (Screen shot 2)
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Thank you. We are your Office of Community
Development

• For Everyone
• www.rurdev.usda.gov/ocd
• www.ezec.gov

• For RD Staff
• ocdi.usda.gov
• rddata.usda.gov