GREAT RIVER REGION DAYS

FEBRUARY 10-11, 2015

BE THE VOICEDES MOINES STATE CAPITOL

Great River Region Days 2015- AGENDA Tuesday, February 10, 2015 11:00 AM Welcome to Great River Region Days! –Jason Hutcheson, Greater Burlington Partnership, Wallace Building 11:30 AM Capitol Rotunda Luncheon 1:00 PM M-Power U Student Session, Senate Room 116 Moderator: Travis Kraus, Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce 2:00 PM Break/Walk to Wallace Building All Sessions are at the Wallace Building, 502 E. 9th St. 2:15 PM Iowa State University-Community & Economic Development Partners: Mark Reinig, CIRAS, Himar Hernandez ISU CED, and Bob Dodds, VP for ISU Extension County Services Moderator: Shelley Oltmans, Keokuk Chamber of Commerce 2:45 PM Transportation, Representative Josh Byrnes and Senator Tod Bowman Moderator: Pat Poepping, Poepping, Stone, Bach & Associates, Inc. 3:15 PM Brad Buck, Department of Education Director Moderator: Tim Gobble, Fort Madison Partners 4:00 PM Break/Hotel Check-In Evening events are at Embassy Suites Des Moines Downtown Hotel patrons receive complimentary drinks starting at 5:30 PM via the Lounge Bar

5:00 PM Great River Region Days Reception Sponsored by Iowa Fertilizer Company 5:15 PM Keynote Speakers: Governor Branstad & Lieutenant Governor Reynolds Introduced by Shawn Rana, Iowa Fertilizer Company

Wednesday, February 11, 2015 All Sessions are at the Embassy Suites Des Moines Downtown, Salon E Hotel patrons receive complimentary breakfast starting at 6:00 AM 7:30 AM Leadership Breakfast Moderator: Mark Foster, Greater Burlington Partnership 8:45 AM Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kate Sand, Jeff Jobe and Shannon Chase Moderator: Jason Hutcheson, Greater Burlington Partnership 9:30 AM Break 9:45 AM Mental Health/MHI, Teresa Bomhoff, NAMI Greater Des Moines Moderator: Travis Kraus, Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce 10:30 AM Jay Byers, Greater Des Moines Partnership. Introduced by Jason Hutcheson 11:15 AM Adjournment

*Invited guests are subject to schedule changes

Note: Free parking for the afternoon sessions is available at the Capitol Complex Parking Structure, entrance at 655 Des Moines St. Meals: Lunch is provided on the 10th, appetizers will be provided at the reception. Dinner is on your own. Breakfast is complimentary for hotel patrons on the 11th, lunch is on your own. Questions before or during the events: Contact Mark Foster, 319-850-1684.

GREAT RIVER REGION 2015 Position Statements

Transportation For decades, Iowa’s transportation network has given businesses a competitive advantage when doing intrastate, interstate and global business. However, that advantage is deteriorating along with our infrastructure. There is little disagreement that costs of maintaining that network, specifically when it comes to the highways, streets, and roads, are outpacing the available revenue needed to sustain that network. Investment in a safe and reliable transportation network is an absolute must for economic development. New revenue sources for transportation funding including those laid out by the Iowa DOT should be considered. In the interim, the counties of Des Moines, Lee, and Louisa fully support an increase in the fuel tax. The legislature should pass legislation adopting the fuel tax increase. The State of Iowa cannot continue to ignore the pending crisis regarding its deteriorating transportation network.

• Support the completion of the Highway 61 corridor as four lanes from Keokuk to Dubuque. The new Ft. Madison by-pass has continued to improve the corridor, and the area is encouraged by the release of potential site plans for an expanded Highway 61.

• Support new or alternative sources of revenue including a fuel tax increase to provide the resources necessary to maintain existing and develop new transportation infrastructure.

• Support fully funding the Transportation Investment Moves the Economy in the 21st Century Fund (TIME-21).

• Support the comprehensive plan for flood control on the Mississippi and improvement of the levee system to a “500 Year” level of protection. The Governor and legislature are urged to join Illinois and Missouri in support of levee system improvements.

• Support the continued State of Iowa funds for the commercial and general aviation available through the Southeast Iowa Regional Airport.

• Support funding at the Iowa Department of Transportation for rail service into industrial parks and sites appropriate for rail projects.

• Support continuing reinvestment in city and county roads and infrastructure even as budget challenges exist.

• Oppose the State of Iowa defunding longtime state supported roads, putting the financial burden on county and city governments.

Economic Development The State of Iowa has been winning economic development projects due in part to aggressive marketing and flexible financial assistance tools. The Iowa Economic Development Authority has provided great leadership in both business expansion and business attraction projects. Its board

takes great care in awarding incentives to secure capital investment and job creation deals without ‘giving away the farm’. It is imperative that the board continue to utilize discretion when approving economic development programs and awards.

• Support Iowa’s direct incentives budget and the High Quality Jobs Program. Funding flexible incentives is imperative if Iowa wants to effectively compete for investment and jobs.

• Support economic development programs that attract quality jobs, foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and help put Iowa over the top for businesses looking for a place to invest as well as helping those already here expand their operations.

• Support continued funding of Historic Tax Credits to incent private investment in downtown districts.

• Support an increased maintenance and funding of the Historical Resource Development Program and the Historic Sites Preservation Grant in order to spur downtown development projects.

• Support an increased funding in the State of Iowa’s tourism spending in order for communities, regions and the State to maximize the economic development opportunity of tourism.

• Support funding the Economic Development Authority’s administrative funding, incentive fund, and financial assistance tax credit pool. It is imperative that the State of Iowa and local communities have incentive tools to maintain and attract jobs and investment.

• Support removing the workforce housing tax credits out from under the overall economic development tax credit cap.

• Support including an extension of the targeted jobs tax credit program to communities adjacent to existing pilot cities. The State legislature should be applauded for their efforts in renewing this vital program in recent years.

Tax Increment Financing The Great River Region recognizes local economic development tools, such as tax increment financing (TIF), as invaluable and integral pieces of Iowa’s economic development efforts. A well-executed TIF management program promotes job creation, enhances the tax base over the duration of the program, and allows local governments to incur debt in a sustainable manner.

• Support local control over TIF districts thereby limiting the need for the legislature to adopt new, arbitrary rules in a one-size-fits all approach.

• Support the utilization of TIF for both horizontal and vertical infrastructure development and encourages its use as an incentive tool for job creation projects.

Business Climate The Great River Region applauds Iowa’s passage of the largest tax reduction in Iowa history in the form of property tax reform. This brought welcome relief to commercial and industrial taxpayers. Yet, Iowa’s tax system remains a barrier to economic growth. Tax competitiveness is one of the leading factors considered in business location and expansion decisions. The non-partisan Tax Foundation ranks Iowa 41st in its State Business Tax Climate Index and at or near the bottom in

several of its measures. It is time for a comprehensive discussion regarding Iowa’s business climate. Cost of Business—Corporate Income Taxes Iowa’s top corporate income tax rate, at 12%, is one of the highest in the nation. While the effective rate is reduced with federal deducibility and the single factor system, the computation is somewhat difficult to calculate and explain to corporate decision-makers.

• Support efforts to simplify and reduce corporate income taxes as a means to better market Iowa as a destination for job-creating investments.

• Support the elimination of federal deductibility for corporate income taxes as long as it is coupled with lower brackets that achieve a tax reduction greater than what federal deductibility offers alone – or a two-lane system that allows for businesses to choose the current system or a new, simpler version. This will make Iowa’s corporate tax code more marketable, competitive and understandable.

Cost of Business—Income and Sales Taxes

• Support simplicity in Iowa’s personal tax code so that Iowa can better market itself for economic development. Flattening and streamlining the personal income tax will help illustrate that Iowa is working to attract talented people, businesses and new jobs. Taxes on individually-owned businesses, partnerships and limited liability corporations pay taxes through the individual income taxes of their owners. Lowering and simplifying personal income taxes will help foster economic growth by freeing more capital for investment in business expansion.

• Support allowing states to collect sales tax from out-of-state establishments in order to reduce the inequity that now exists between online sellers and bricks-and-mortar businesses. Care should be taken to ensure an automated process which will simplify the reporting process.

Cost of Business—Regulations Given challenges related to population and geography, Iowa must create and maintain a reputation as a state that is receptive to business. Yet regulations continue to impede development and threaten everything from the reliability of our energy supply to the availability of nursing home care. We recommend that all new regulations be reviewed every three years to ascertain their effectiveness and their cost. We support efforts to measure the economic impact of all new regulatory legislation. Cost of Business – Local Governments The Municipal Fire and Police Retirement System of Iowa (MFPRSI) is a mandated pension system for communities with active police and fire departments in cities with more than 8,000 residents. The pension program is underfunded, and as a result, the contributions on behalf of cities are rising at a rapid pace. These increases are crippling local budgets, and the current system is unsustainable.

The state should consider two options to improve the system. Required increases could be shared with employees just as they are with IPERS. In addition, the legislature should consider a one-time cash infusion to support the pension fund. Doing so would relieve significant pressure on the communities supporting the MFPRSI.

Education and Workforce Governor Terry Branstad and members of the Iowa Legislature have demonstrated commitment and creativity over recent years in laboring to improve Iowa’s public education system. The effort is laudable and the need very real. It is in the classroom that Iowa’s young people are transformed into responsible citizens, capable leaders, and productive readers. Sadly, our state’s school system seems caught in mediocrity, unable to ascend to the heights of the past.

The Great River Region believes our state can and should achieve greater value for every education dollar through reforms that empower local districts to become more efficient. Combined administration, joint procurement, and collaborative instruction are obvious starting points. In some instances, district consolidation may be appropriate. Furthermore, many employers expect graduates to be better prepared for the workplace. Just as the schoolhouse should be home to many divergent ideas, the Great River Region offers broad recommendations for improving Iowa’s schools. They may be loosely divided into three topical areas: teacher pay and performance, workforce readiness, education funding

• Pay for Performance: Like their private-sector counterparts, teachers should be compensated according to their performance. Measurement should not be restricted to student achievement on assessment tests, but must also consider evaluations of administration, parents and teaching peers.

• Workforce Readiness: Career and technical education is a core responsibility of our public schools and the ideal starting point for modernizing Iowa’s workforce. By offering programming for students who prefer to enter into technical fields or move directly to the workplace, districts may both increase graduation rates and better answer our upcoming workforce crunch. Valid assessments of work readiness skills are also needed. Meaningful, valid assessments of work readiness skills are also needed. Creativity, problem-solving and collaboration are key work readiness skills in the 21st century, but absent a means of assessing these skills, schools are left to hope that their efforts are benefitting students. Education leaders must identify mechanisms for measuring student progress beyond reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning. Incorporating technical classes into the core curriculum would be a worthy endeavor.

• Intelligent Education Funding: Education is expensive and made more so by state mandates and reforms that lack full funding. Lawmakers must curb this unsustainable practice, particularly as districts continue to wrestle with the financial challenges of implementing the core curriculum. Also, recognizing that baccalaureate education remains critical for long-term earning power and seeing first-hand the powerful impact of Iowa Wesleyan College on our region, we encourage lawmakers to fund fully the Iowa Tuition Grant program.

Social Assistance Programs There are a variety of instances in which a hand-up is necessary for struggling individuals and families. However, recent trends have shown greater dependence on government programs. Unfortunately, many employers believe the greatest competition for employment comes not from other employers, but from the government. The State of Iowa should work with the federal government to ensure that the limited benefits are directed to those that need them most. The Great River Region pushes for a variety of reforms in order to best help those needing the assistance to create a sense of independence and to keep the programs solvent for future generations. In addition, we urge lawmakers to consider the following:

• Support establishing a time limit similar to the Family Investment Program for the utilization of Section 8 Housing vouchers, keeping in mind those that are permanently disabled and the elderly. This will help best serve the people that need the assistance the most and reduce the dependence on government assistance.

• Support more clarified rules and regulations for Section 8 Housing vouchers portability. This will maintain the vouchers in the geographical area that they are supposed to be utilized.

• Support public-private partnerships establishing work and training programs for able-bodied adults receiving any form of social assistance. This will help to fill the workforce void employers are experiencing and create a more established sense of independence for those receiving aid.

GREAT RIVER REGION M•Power U Youth Leadership Primary Issues Improving School Lunches Student Speakers: Kolt Rossiter, Cheyenne Sedlacek Raising the quality of school lunches in Iowa through regulated prices.

• Addressing unappealing features of nutritional food • School funding • Achieve funds through statewide regulated prices of lunches

Solar Energy Student Speakers: Dru Stephens, Kenzie Scott, Kaylee Hasek Support promotions, incentives, and increased funding for awareness of solar energy in Iowa.

• Market projects that already exist and increase distribution of information to public.

• Advertise and promote community projects involving solar energy

• Alternative ways to save Iowa taxpayers and state money using renewable energy sources

Instant-Runoff Voting Student Speakers: Jameson Plate, Maggie Brueck, Rachel Mehmert Give meaning back to the vote in Iowa.

• Leads to a better representative government • Encourages other parties to get involved in elections

GREAT RIVER REGION 2015 Delegates

Becky Anderson City of Burlington Aaron Baltisberger Two Rivers Bank & Trust Mary Beaird Southeast Iowa Regional Airport Authority Bob Beck Des Moines County Board of Supervisors Steve Bisenius Lee County Economic Development Group Kirk Brandenberger Keokuk Area Convention & Tourism Bureau Steve Brimhall City of Mount Pleasant Deb Brinkley Happy Joe’s of Burlington Bryan Bross Klingner and Associates, PC Paul Dennison KILJ Radio David Evans Great River Health Systems Ron Fedler Lee County Board of Supervisors Tim Fencl Danville Telecom/i-connect you Jim Ferneau City of Burlington K.C. Fleming Great River Health Systems Mark Foster Greater Burlington Partnership Deb Fowler Century 21 Property Professionals Gary Fulluo Lee County Board of Supervisors David George Two Rivers Bank & Trust Dan Gifford City of West Burlington Tim Gobble Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce Chris Greenwald City of Fort Madison Gina Hardin Des Moines County Emergency Management Agency

Sara Hecox Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission Melissa Helt Southeastern Community College Alan Huisinga City of Mount Pleasant Don Hunold Lee County Board of Supervisors Jason Hutcheson Greater Burlington Partnership Dana Klesner Lee County Economic Development Group Terry Knoke Poepping, Stone, Bach & Associates, Inc. Travis Kraus Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce Jenna Kuntz CNH Industrial Rick Larkin Lee County Board of Supervisors Brenda Levitt Greater Burlington Partnership Becky Luers Greater Burlington Partnership Tom Marion City of Keokuk Phil McCormick Whitfield & Eddy PLC Mark McKinley Community First Credit Union Ryan Nagrocki Great Western Bank Beth Neihus Iowa Fertilizer Company Mike Norris Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission Lisa Oetken Main Street Mount Pleasant Chad Palmer Energyficient Systems, Inc. Cyndi Parks Two Rivers Bank & Trust Bill Partain Two Rivers Bank & Trust Dave Pearson Iowa Fertilizer Company Mark Pfaffe Keokuk School Board Angela Pilkington Burlington Public Library Pat Poepping Poepping, Stone, Bach & Associates, Inc.

Shawn Rana Iowa Fertilizer Company Brad Randolph City of Fort Madison Nathan Reichert Indiana, Illinois Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting

Liz Ross Two Rivers Bank & Trust Kay Sackville Breuer Greater Burlington Partnership Thomas Salaway Winegard Company Brent Schleisman City of Mount Pleasant Matt Shinn Two Rivers Bank & Trust Joel Sieren Edward Jones Kyleena Snyder Two Rivers Bank & Trust Paul Stevens Sheakley Pay Systems Kara Steward Energyficient Systems, Inc. Rochelle Swanner Lunning Chapel Marty Taeger Winegard Company Chelsea Tolle Greater Burlington Partnership David Toyer Greater Burlington Partnership Hans Trousil City of West Burlington David Varley City of Fort Madison Samantha Vidal SunnyBrook Assisted Living Andrea Walz Hartman MidWestOne Bank Don Weiss Southeastern Community College, Center for Business Mike Wells Mount Pleasant Community School District Allyson Wooldridge Farmers Savings Bank

GREAT RIVER REGION M•Power U Youth Leadership Teachers: Carlene Woodside Southeastern Community College Matt Giberson Roquette Students: Elizabeth Barr Holy Trinity RayShawn Baylark Danville Maggie Brueck Notre Dame Hailee Dill Mediapolis Brandon Doyle Central Lee Angelique Frier WACO Zachary Gordon Mediapolis Kaylee Hasek Central Lee Caitlin Jamison Winfield – Mt. Union Sam Jennings Winfield- Mt. Union Frankie Johnson New London Gabrielle Lillie Notre Dame Rachel Mehmert Holy Trinity Madison Pfaffe Keokuk Jameson Plate Ft. Madison Emma Pry New London Keyana Robinson Burlington Kolt Rossiter Winfield – Mt. Union

V. Joshua Royal Wapello Gradin Schroeder W. Burlington Kenzie Scott Winfield – Mt. Union Cheyenne Sedlacek WACO Sarah Steffensmeier Ft. Madison Drucilla Stephens Wapello J.D. Stirn Danville Kristyn Vedder W. Burlington Blake Wade Keokuk

2015 LEGISLATORS FOR SOUTHEAST IOWA: Information provided on www.legis.iowa.gov

Dennis Cohoon State Representative, House District 87

Democrat, Burlington

Email: dennis.cohoon@legis.iowa.gov

Standing Committees: Education, State Government, Transportation

Thomas G. Courtney State Senator, Senate District 44

Democrat, Burlington

Email: thomas.courtney@legis.iowa.gov

Standing Committees: Appropriations, Commerce, Labor and Business Relations, Rules and Administration, State Government (Vice Chair)

Dave Heaton State Representative, House District 84

Republican, Mount Pleasant

Email: dave.heaton@legis.iowa.gov

Standing Committees: Appropriations, Human Resources, Judiciary

Jerry A. Kearns State Representative, House District 83

Democrat, Keokuk

Email: jerry.kearns@legis.iowa.gov

Standing Committees: Agriculture, Labor, Veterans Affairs (Ranking Member), Ways and Means

Thomas R. Sands State Representative, House District 88

Republican, Wapello

Email: tom.sands@legis.iowa.gov

Standing Committees: Commerce, Ethics, Ways and Means (Chair)

Rich Taylor State Senator, Senate District 42

Democrat, Mount Pleasant

Email: rich.taylor@legis.iowa.gov

Standing Committees: Agriculture, Economic Growth, Human Resources, Judiciary, Local Government (Chair)

Legislative Reception Sponsored By:

Silver Sponsors:

Great River Region Days is Organized by:

Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce 614 9th St., Fort Madison, IA 52627

Phone: (319) 372-5471 www.fortmadison.com

Greater Burlington Partnership

610 N 4th St., Ste. 200, Burlington, IA 52601 Phone: (319) 752-6365

www.greaterburlington.com

Keokuk Chamber of Commerce 329 Main St., Keokuk, IA 52632-5439

Phone: (319) 524-5055 www.keokukchamber.com

Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance

124 S Main, Mount Pleasant, IA 52641-0109 Phone: (319) 385-3101

www.mountpleasantiowa.org