Lobbying efforts to move ahead

Plans for the City of Portland and other Indiana communities to hire a lobbying firm in Washington D.C. are moving forward, despite not reaching the project’s original financial goal.

The city of Portland in August committed $15,000 annually as a part of the two-year effort by the East Central Indiana Regional Planning District (ECIRPD), along with the City of Winchester and Delaware County. The three local governments have pledged $55,000 toward hiring a lobbying firm, Keller McIntyre, to advocate for federal funding on behalf of local projects.

Originally, the plan called for $90,000 from communities within the planning district, but pledges haven't reached that total yet. Jay County Commissioners declined an offer to participate in the program in October, saying they felt hiring the lobbying firm was unnecessary and that they could lobby on the county’s behalf. Grant County, the City of Marion and the City of Yorktown are all still considering joining the lobbying effort.

Brad Bookout, project manager for the ECIRPD, said the project will proceed even if it doesn’t reach the $90,000 goal.

In the case that the project only reaches the current $55,000 total, Bookout said Keller McIntyre would rework it’s proposal and allow the project to proceed with the lower cost, but would result in the firm not being able to lobby for as many projects as originally hoped.

Accoding to Bookout, Keller McIntyre has a track record of success in helping acquire federal funding for projects in Indiana.

In the past, the firm acquired $1.2 million in funding for the City of Marion for a major sewer overhaul, and also helped Indiana Wesleyan University secure $900,000 for its nursing program.

“One of the key things that this lobbying firm would do is once they are officially hired, they will present each municipality a federal funding plan,” Bookout said. “There are 17 different federal agencies that provide funding, and with this effort, $15,000 from the city of Portland isn’t going to lobby every agency, but going together with all the different municipalities will increase the chances of success.”

For Portland, a few major projects would be pitched for federal funds, including the city’s plan to add a new sewer line underneath Harrison Street while also separating sewers in the downtown and near east side of the city. Mayor Randy Geesaman said the projected $2.5 million project will take substantial pressure off the wastewater system in the downtown area, and help reduce the risk of flooding.

“The Harrison Street project will dramatically take a lot of pressure off the downtown area,” Geesaman said. “That will be our number one project (to get funded).”

Geesaman said he also hopes to pitch work on the Portland Industrial Park, to help finish improvements in the area northeast of the city and attract new businesses. He estimated that project would cost the city around $1 million if it were to attempt it without help from federal funding sources.

Third on the city’s priority projects list is funding for a variety of revitalization measures, first proposed by Ball State University Urban Planning students in 2016. Geesaman said federal funding for $500,000 in revitalization improvements could help the city address some of its biggest issues.

Portland is signed up for two years in the program, committing a total of $30,000. Geesaman is hopeful that the city’s investment will turn in to some form of funding, and explained that the contract with Keller McIntyre is short intentionally.

“The is a two year trial run. If we’re successful, even if we get just one of these (projects funded), it’s worth the money,” Geesaman said.

Despite Congress already being in session, Bookout said he hopes to have a revised offer from Keller McIntyre in the next two months, after receiving final decisions from the municipalities and counties that are still considering joining.

“This is a brand new thing for the East Central Indiana Regional Planning District, we’ve never done this before,” Bookout said. “But there are lobbying firms working for municipalities, and even though we weren’t able to reach the original $90,000 (goal), we’re going to receive a revised offer from Keller McIntyre in the next 30 to 60 days … Having a Washington, D.C., presence that keeps local projects on the federal government’s radar remains of significant importance.”

Geesaman is optimistic about the projects prospects, but explained that he believes results likely won’t return to the city until 2018.

“I would say we need to be realistic and realize it may be more like 2018 (when the city receives funding,”) he said. “They’ll present (the projects) in the fall of 2017, if we’re fortunate we could see results in early 2018.