Program and Activity Summary
Economic Development:
The Commission updates the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy on an annual basis. The CEDS contains current economic statistics, a development strategy for the Region, and projects proposed for EDA funding. The Commission maintains a database of industrial sites and buildings, provides technical assistance for communities seeking various loans and grants, and works with communities and organizations on economic development projects. The promotion of heritage tourism is another Commission priority with particular emphasis on the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway project and the Heritage Parkway Signing Program.
Community Development:
The Commission provides information and technical assistance for ongoing community planning and grant applications, develops open space plans, prepares park site and trail plans. The Commission offers a cost-sharing program, project services contracts for community land use planning. East Central contracts directly with local governments for various types of other planning services, such as the preparation of development codes, capital improvement programming, concept site development plans, and public facility and service planning.
Land Use and Environmental Resources:
The Commission maintains regional development policies, serves as the sewer service area management agency, provides technical assistance for groundwater studies and water quality management, and promotes wetland preservation and floodplain management. The Commission participates in watershed planning projects and provides stormwater management planning. As well as administration of a five-county regional NR-135 nonmetallic mining reclamation program.
Transportation:
As the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Appleton and Oshkosh Urbanized Areas, and serving as staff for the Fond du Lac MPO, the Commission has prepared long-range urban transportation/land use plans consistent with requirements of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). These plans are currently being updated as required by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA21). The Commission works cooperatively with WisDOT on urban multimodal transportation planning encompassing the highway network, two urban bus systems, specialized transit for the elderly and disabled, rail, and bicycle and pedestrian ways. Regional transportation planning focuses on highway corridor studies, local traffic operations, access control, bypasses, jurisdictional transfers, highway maintenance, one small urban bus system, multiple shared-ride taxi systems, and transit for the elderly and disabled.
Information and Data Systems:
The Commission provides technical and contract assistance to county land records committees and other governmental units to establish land information systems and provide digital data services. The Commission maintains an Internet website to provide basic agency and regional information. Through its Information Center, the Commission responds to data requests and distributes large-scale aerial photos and county and community base maps of various scales. Geographic Information System (GIS) technology has been instituted to integrate regional database and mapping capabilities.
- Operating Characteristics
- Commission and Method of Selection
- Current Commissioners
- Staff
$1,932,294
(25% Federal, 11% State, 41% Local Levy, 22% Local Contracts and miscellaneous)
1) the County Board Chairman;
2) the County Executive or an elected official appointed by the County Board for a two-year term;
3) a Governor’s appointee from a list of six County Board nominees, four of whom must be private citizens.
Additional Commissioners are provided for each attained increment of 50,000 population. The first such Commissioner is the head elected official of the largest city in the county; the second is appointed by the County Board for a two-year term.
Menominee: Elizabeth Moses (Jeremy Johnson – Alternate); Robert Hermes; Ruth M. Winter;
Outagamie: Paul Hirte; Helen Nagler; Jim Steineke; Tim Hanna; Robert “Toby” Paltzer; Clifford Sanderfoot
Shawano: Marshal Giese; Ken Capelle; M. Eugene Zeuske
Waupaca: Duane Brown; DuWayne Federwitz; Dick Koeppen; Brian Smith
Waushara: Walter Petersen; Neal Strehlow; Lester Van Loon Norman Weiss
Winnebago: David Albrecht; Ernie Bellin; Mark Harris; Jim Erdman; Paul Esslinger (Mark Rohloff-Alternate) Ken Robl
Staff Contacts:
Eric W. Fowle, AICP, Executive Director
Walt C. Raith, Assistant Director / MPO Director
Jason Kakatsch, Principal Planner
Kathy Thunes, Principal Planner