The Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership (TSEP) is seeking someone to manage its industrial, commercial and residential development activities and join one of the most dynamic and successful local economic development organizations in the country. Created in 1983, TSEP is a 501c3 public-private partnership that acts as the economic development agent for Tiffin and rural Seneca County in northwest Ohio (population 55,000).

Nestled between the banks of the Mississippi and Rock rivers in the heart of the Midwest, the City of Moline invites you to Take Time to Support, Take Time to Live, and Take Time to Discover. The ninth-largest city in Illinois outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area is home to nearly 43,000 people and was recently named among the most affordable places to live in the country.

State News:

New ODOD Brownfields & Building Demolition grant funds launched: On December 7, Governor DeWine issued an executive order that immediately released rules relating to ODOD’s $500 million in new funding for site cleanup.

Federal News:

Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill signed, with key help from an Ohioan: On Monday, November 15, President Biden signed the largest public works bill since the Eisenhower Administration’s federal interstate highway program. On November 5, the House voted 228-206 to approve the bill (including 13 Republican House members, who have since received death threats and vitriolic messages from constituents… welcome to our America in 2021). For some local flavor, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D – Columbus), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, led the breakthrough in the House’s logjam in passing this measure.

Pending ARPA changes to expand and add new eligible uses of funds: Legislation currently under consideration in the Congress may serve to dramatically expand the eligible uses of ARPA funds. The proposed State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act does not add new appropriations under ARPA, but rather frees-up funding for (i) those governments which had no or low revenue impacts from COVID-19, (ii) emergency funding related to natural disasters, and (iii) an expanded list of infrastructure projects.

State News:

New Loan Programs for Minority & Women-owned Businesses:  ODOD has added to its portfolio two loan programs to support minority- and women-owned businesses: the (i) Women’s Business Enterprise Loan Program and (ii) Ohio Micro-Enterprise Loan Program.  Included within the state budget bill (HB110, whose other elements are described in detail, below), the new program offerings are as follows:

Federal News:

Um, excuse me, is now an okay time to talk about inflation?  We have been reporting here during 2021 that consumer price index increases seen in year-over-year measures each month were not of concern to the Federal Reserve and most economists.  Um, that view may be changing as the Consumer Price Index rose 5.4% in September from one year ago.

Those same officials are worried as rapid price increases, seen each month for several months this year, has consumers paying more for meat, eggs, gasoline, furniture, and rent.  The latter cost – housing rent – has officials worried the most, as it is an important indicator of inflation and once rents increase, they tend to stay high for lengthy periods.

Please join Montrose Group for a free webinar to learn about Ohio’s new Transformational Mixed-Use Development (TMUD) program that can spur growth in urban and rural markets. Recently, the Ohio General Assembly passed and Governor DeWine signed into law Senate Bill 39 to create the Ohio’s TMUD program providing $100M in tax credits for large-scale mixed-use projects.

Montrose Group’s 2020 Virtual Rural Corporate Site Location Summit on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 from 2:00PM-5:00PM will explore how private companies can create high-wage jobs and make capital investments in rural markets through the development of Public-Private-Partnerships. Montrose Group is a national consulting company providing corporate site location, economic development planning, lobbying and site development services such as land use entitlements, infrastructure finance and tax incentive services.