Issue #16
Economic and Community Development
Problem, Opportunity Statement
Community and public policy decision making in
Pennsylvania
is
characterized by a mosaic of decentralized jurisdictions, authorities, and
interests. While local governments play an increasingly important role in this
decision making, there are also a wide array of changes and constituencies that
shape the environment and outcome of these decisions. Federal and state
government priorities, regulations and programs; continued local, global and
national economic pressures; the changing relationship between local, state and
federal government(s); changing service and social demands; enhanced technology;
evolving environmental, agricultural and land use challenges; increasing
globalization of the economy, and shifting demographics are just a few of the
more salient issues that influence the complexity of effective community
decision making.
Within this framework,
citizens, civic organizations, and local governments in small and rural
communities face ever greater challenges in effectively controlling and managing
the myriad issues that face their communities. With few exceptions, this
changing environment has also become more complex and frequently controversial -
requiring an unparalleled breadth of decision making responsibilities,
information and skills. All these shifts are placing ever greater pressure on
local citizens and decision makers to have a working knowledge of (and often
expertise in) literally hundreds of areas important to the life of the
communities in which they serve and live.
As such, an informed citizenry, effective leadership and
viable local institutions are essential if small and rural communities
are to develop the capacity to control their future. A healthy environment, a
dynamic economy and the well being of all our communities are directly linked.
Cooperative Extension is well positioned to provide both the content and process
related educational programs and information required to equip our communities
with the tools they need to thoughtfully analyze and respond to these challenges
and opportunities.
Subject Matter Areas
- Community and Resource Management Skills
- Understanding Community Change
- Community Planning & Land Use
Program Titles and/or
Program Topics by Subject Matter Area
- Choosing Our Direction
- Charting the Future of Our Community
- Community and Resource Management Skills
- Understanding Community Change
- eNon-Profit
- eGovernment
- eBusiness
- Community Information Networks
- Community Planning and Land Use
- PMPEI
- Agricultural Land and Open Space Preservation
- Land use
- Entrepreneurship
- Future of Agriculture in Our Community
- Workforce Development
- Local Taxes and Tax Reform
Resources
- Staff and faculty time
- Workshop and program
materials
- Web development costs
- Contributions of partner organizations – big and
small
- Choosing Our Direction
curriculum
- Staff and faculty time
- Workshop and program
materials
- Web development costs
- Contributions of partner organizations – big and
small
- Extension Agents
- Extension Specialists
- Grants
- Existing Programs (charting, BRE, GIS,
etc…)
- Partner community based organizations (PSATS,
county township associations, COGs, United Way, Chamber of
Commerce, Business and Industry, etc…)
- Resources from cost recovery
plan
- Community Network
Initiative
- State eInitiative leader
- Extension Agents
- School of IST faculty and grad students
- Community Network expert Woody
Kerkeslager
- Partner with community network
consultants
- Grants and gifts
- Partner with DCED, Local Development Districts, PA Rural Development
Commission
- State eInitiative leader
- Access eGovernment Web
site
- Extension Agents
- Partner with DCED, Local Development Districts,
PSATS, CCAP
- State eInitiative leader
- Access eNonprofit Web site
- eNonProfit program
materials
- Extension Agents
- Partner with Pennsylvania Association of
NonProfits
- State eInitiative leader
- Access eNonprofit Web site
- eNonProfit program
materials
- Extension Agents
- Partnerships with Pennsylvania Association of
NonProfits and other affiliated organizations
- Agricultural Land and Open Space
Preservation
- Faculty research time and previous research
reports
- Faculty and agent program delivery and
development time
- Publications and electronic based
information
- Meeting rooms, facilities, advertisements, and
registration
- State agency publications and information (e.g.
DCNR, DCED, PPA, PA Parks & Recreation Society, Planning Offices
etc.)
- Partnerships and co-sponsoring opportunities with
PDA, ag land preservation boards and others
- Land Use
Education for Citizens
- Cost of Community Services
studies/materials
- PMPEI
- ‘Inventory of Land Use Planning in
PA”
- “Charting the Future of Our
Community”
- Open Space and Farmland Preservation
programs
- Governor’s Center for Local Government
Services
- Simulation or build-out programs (i.e,
CommunityViz™)
- Statewide municipal and county organizations
(i.e., PSATS)
- Planning associations (PPA,
APA)
- PA Municipalities Planning Education Institute
curricula & trained instructors (PMPEI is a partnership between Penn
State Cooperative Extension, the PA Planning Association, and the PA State
Association of Boroughs, and has its own certified
instructors)
- PMPEI currently offers four nine-hour courses
(typically taught over 3 evenings):
1. Community Planning (the basics of
planning)
2. Subdivision and Land Development
Review
3. Zoning
4. Zoning
Administration
- Workforce Development
Program
- Extension faculty and
educators
- Grant funding
- Collaboration with local organizations, agencies,
businesses and government
- Analysis and reports to support educational
programming
- Curriculums and educational
materials
- Models of career ladders that are transferable to
various industries
- Community development training
programs
- Invest pre-employment
model
- Entrepreneurship
Education
- NxLevel Guide for Business
Start-Ups
- NxLevel Guide for
Entrepreneurs
- Tilling the Soil of Opportunity – NxLevel Guide for Agricultural
Entrepreneurs
- DCED Consulting Small Businesses on Pennsylvania
Regulations and Resources
- “Starting and Growing a Business in
Pennsylvania” http://www.inventpa.com/docs/Document/application/pdf/1374c085-51a9-4821-b221-941204f69e21/entrepreneur.pdf
- “Fast Forward” (published by PA
Association of Women Business Owners)
- Chambers of Commerce
- Small Business Development
Centers
- Service Corps of Retired Executives
(SCORE)
- SEDA-COG
- DCED Small
Business Resource Center
- MANTEC
- PENNTAP
- PA Minority Business Development Authority
(PMBDA)
- Corporation Bureau, PA Department of
State
- National Association of Women Business Owners
(NAWBO)
- Future
of Agriculture in Our Community
- “Future of Ag” brochures
- “Future of Ag” extension
bulletin
- Website
- Business Retention & Expansion
workbooks/video
- “Charting the Future of Our
Community“ workbooks
- Task Force handbooks
- CD of program materials
- Faculty
- Community Workforce Development
Program
o
Extension
faculty and educators
- Grant funding
- Collaboration with local organizations, agencies,
businesses and government
- Analysis and reports to support educational
programming
- Curriculums and educational
materials
- Models of career ladders that are transferable to
various industries
- Community development training
programs
- Invest pre-employment
model
- Existing local tax
publications;
- “Who
pays the local taxes in PA?”
- “Reassessment: What Homeowners Need
to Know”
- “Local Taxes & Our Community “
workbooks & vido
- “How
is the Real Property Tax distributed among land
uses?”
- “Real Property Taxes and Farm Income
in PA”
- “Understanding Act 24 of
2001”
- “Understanding the Homestead &
Farmstead Exclusion”
- “Understanding School Tax Changes Under Act 50 of
1998”
- DCED’s Local Government Financial
Statistics
- Extension faculty
- Extension educators
- IMPLAN model
- County-based health care
data
- County-based labor and industry
data
Indicators by Subject
Matter
·
General
o
Number of initiatives
established.
·
Strategic
Planning
o Number of participating organizations who complete a review
of their committees and organizational structure.
o Number of participating organizations who develop a
prioritized set of goals and objectives to meet their mission.
o Number of participating organizations who establish an
accountability matrix for ensuring goals and objectives are accomplished
schedule.
·
Grant Writing
o Number of participants who report they have identified a
growing complement of funders with whom they may potentially partner with.
o Number of proposal writers who successfully acquire at
least one grant.
o
Number of
organizations represented that write one grant proposal within one year.
·
Understanding Community Change
o Number of participants who increase their level of
understanding of the decision making process.
o Number of people who develop skills to understand community
change.
o Number of participants and/or organizations that use
available tools to plan for community change.
·
Information Society
o
Number participants
demonstrating ability to evaluate Web sites.
o Number of participants who develop and implement a plan to
effectively utilize the Internet to attain their mission/goal.
o
Number of participants
who can identify the major ways the Internet can be used to provide information
and services.
·
Community Planning
o Number of participants who can identify primary
implementations steps, program requirements, enrollment procedures and major
benefits and costs of major land use/farmland preservation program.
o Number of municipal officials and other decision makers who incorporate
a better understanding of the causes and consequences of ag and open space loss
into their decisions.
o Number of landowners altering their program enrollment
intentions of actual enrollment on the basis of provided information.
o Number of participants who report greater knowledge of
additional land use planning tools and processes (multi-municipal planning,
comprehensive plans, etc.).
·
Workforce Development
o Number of employers reporting increased employee
effectiveness.
o
Number of people
employed.
·
Entrepreneurship
o Number of participants who draft a business plan.
o Number of participants who make a decision to start or not
start a business.
o Number of participants reporting using financials for
decision making.
o Number of Small Business support groups established with
support of Cooperative Extension.
o Number of business plans reviewed, written or critiqued by
Extension personnel.
·
Future of Agriculture
o Number of the Task Force members who report the meetings
are constructive.
o Number of strategic plans developed.
o Number of strategic plans implemented.