Program and Activity Summary
Economic Development:
The Commission prepares and maintains a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the Region. It provides technical assistance to local governments regarding industrial park development and improvement, business finance, economic research and plan development, and coordinates areawide development. It administers a regional revolving loan fund for business finance. The Commission manages numerous local and county revolving loan funds.
Community Development:
The Commission provides community development assistance to local communities, including activities such as economic analyses, industrial site evaluations, tax increment finance district plans, special industry studies, grant assistance, and business financial packaging. The Commission is also active at the county and community levels in such activities as zoning ordinance revision, outdoor recreation plan development, and downtown revitalization. It provides housing grantsmanship and grant administration to counties and local governments.
Land Use and Environmental Resources:
The Commission provides land use planning service to cities, villages, towns, and counties. It prepares urban sewer service area plans, prepares computerized land use maps for watershed plans, and participates on a land records management users group. The Commission provides assistance to local governments on comprehensive planning, including plan development. The Commission provides Geographic Information Systems services to its local governments.
Transportation:
In the area of transportation planning, the Commission has undertaken activities including road management planning, highway bypass impact analysis, highway relocation assistance, highway jurisdictional planning, rail line planning, airport review, and road numbering system development. In addition, the Commission serves as the administrative entity for the Chippewa-Eau Claire Metropolitan Planning Organization. This responsibility involves a range of planning, traffic analysis, land use studies, and technical assistance.
Information and Data Systems:
The Commission serves as a State Data Center affiliate. In this capacity, it disseminates a wide range of economic, housing, land use, transportation, and general demographic data. The Commission prepares socioeconomic reports and profiles for the member counties and the Region. The Commission also houses digital geographic (mapping) data for the region.
- Operating Characteristics
- Commission and Method of Selection
- Current Commissioners
- Staff
$1,883,272 (28.1% federal, 25.9% state, 46.0% local)
Three commissioners are appointed by the County Boards in each of the member counties.
Chippewa County Commissioners: Robert Hoekstra; Michael Leisz; Lee McIlquham
Clark County Commissioners: Steve Amacher; Charles Harwick; Charles Rueth
Dunn County Commissioners: Richard Creaser; Richard Johnson; Steve Rasmussen
Eau Claire County Commissioners: John L. Frank; Roger "Jody" Hahn; Gordon Steinhauer
Polk County Commissioners: William Johnson IV; Warren Nelson; Ken Sample
St. Croix County Commissioners: Lorin D. Sather; James Stauffer; Larry Weisenbeck
Staff Contacts:
Jerry Chasteen, Executive Director
Char Gurney, Business Development Specialist
Beth Waldhart, Business Development Specialist
Ann Z. Schell, Transportation Planner
Lynn Nelson, Senior Planner
Christopher Straight, Senior Planner
Jay Tappen, Senior Planner
Eric Anderson, Associate Planner
Carl Rosenquist, GIS Coordinator
Lisa Ruth, Office Manager
Esther Moen, Financial Manager
Vacant, Loan Processor