Iowa's investment in economic development is not immune to the 10 percent across-the-board spending cut imposed by Gov. Chet Culver.
One of those cuts is to the Main Street Challenge Grants program, which helps fund sustainable development practices and strategies. And that makes next week's sustainable economic development hearing in Dubuque a critical discussion.
"In times of stress like we are experiencing now, we must use the opportunity to figure out how to do more with less," said Iowa Sen. Bill Heckroth, D-Waverly. "That applies to our job-creation efforts just like it applies to every other part of our budget."
Heckroth and state Rep. Chuck Isenhart, D-Dubuque, are asking citizens to share their thoughts about how spending can influence long-term growth, with an emphasis on food and agriculture. That quest makes a stop in Dubuque on Nov. 20.
"The way I view it, we have a legislative session that is compressed into 80 days, which makes it hard to get input," Isenhart said. "This way we can get that input in advance
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Isenhart said land and people are Iowa's greatest resources. He is interested in ways to promote local food, which is contrary to a system that promotes exporting raw commodities.
Among the registered speakers to date: Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation; Charles Connelly, director of the Iowa Initiatives for Sustainable Communities at the University of Iowa; and Kamyar Enshayan, director of the University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy and Environmental Education.
