Staff and partners promoted economic development through five board initiatives, with Quarter One progress achieved in each initiative.

1. Support tourism: Launched the new Go Nevada County marketing campaign. 

2. Diversify economy, create equity and sustainability

• Launched planning processes, including community survey to inform priority projects in anticipation of the Community Economic Resiliency Fund release, to position Nevada County to secure funds for economic development priorities.
• Contracted with Sierra Business Council for economic development program management services including Business Technical Assistance; Warm Handoff Coordination; Inclusive Business Collaboration; and Rural Broadband Expansion, and regional coordination with CERF and CEDS. 
• Engaged with Pioneer Community energy to explore implementation of community choice aggregation for Nevada County. 
• Supported launch of a Western Nevada County Community Foundation. The foundation is developing a board.

3. Establish infrastructure and further projects and plans to support economic vitality

•  CDA staff reinstated programs that increase access to CDA customers through the Building Outpost at the Nevada County Contractor's Association and the over-the-counter plan review program. The Outstanding Public Service (OPS) Team in collaboration with the CDA Leadership Team
• The As-Built Policy Advisory Group implemented the unpermitted improvements (as-built) policy to improve permitting accessibility and efficiency.
• Completed the initial drafts of the affordable housing master plan project, finalized drafts are to be completed in the coming months.
• The Outstanding Public Service (OPS) Team in collaboration with the CDA Leadership Team worked to implement initial updates to the lobby areas and finalize draft process workflows for multiple land use processes for customers and employees.
•  Nevada County partnered with South Area MAC for the Higgins Area Plan, analyzing stakeholder interviews and existing conditions analysis, and hosted third public workshop to present draft concept proposals incorporating community input received from previous workshops. Input from this workshop will be used to define specific plan goals and policies to achieve the community vision.  
• The County nearly completed the fee study and final determination of the tank site. Began to work on USDA funding application and to work with State and Federal Lobbyists to identify additional funding sources. Additional funding opportunities include reaching out to Nevada County's state legislators for state-level earmark funding. And the preliminary water source has been identified for the first fill of the tank. 

4. Seek Funding and Advocate for Economic development Priorities

• Nevada County distributed $107,500 in California Microbusiness Covid-19 grant funding from the California Office of the Small Business Advocate to 43 Nevada County Microbusinesses. 
• The County awarded $140,000 in a second round of Community Resiliency Grant funding to three entities providing capacity building support to small businesses, continues to administer Community Resiliency Grant awards to nonprofits, small businesses, and special districts through ARPA-funded Community Resiliency Grants,
• Member designated funding requests submitted to congressional representatives for economic development priorities of Independence Trail reconstruction, and Higgins area sidewalk and pedestrian improvements are moving forward with congressional

5. Support Business Attraction, Retention and Growth

• Sustained business technical assistance was provided through SBC contract. During the first 6 months of the year, SBC provided free one-on-one technical assistance to 219 unique businesses with 627 hours of advisory services. SBC hosted 36 individual workshops, serving 202 participants and completed a 12-part Business Igniter workshop series with Sierra Commons.
  
• A framework was drafted for funding and operational options to establish the ARPA funded revolving loan fund for Nevada County small businesses.

Priority next steps for each initiative include:

1.  To support tourism, staff and Local Freshies contractor will build on social media campaign and grow content and reach of Go Nevada County website.

2. To diversify economy, create equity and sustainability,  maintain SBC Contract. 

3. To establish infrastructure and further projects and plans to support economic vitality, we will continue to enhance permitting process by implementing improved customer experience in the CDA customer service lobby areas, and continuing process improvement. Staff will focus on Affordable Housing Master Plan project, and update associated policies and procedures related to unpermitted improvement policy (amended as-built permitting process improvements) as recommended by the As-Built Policy Advisory Group. 

With respect to projects milestones, quarter two next steps include communicating with the Donner Summit Association regarding their Soda Springs Visitor Amenities project recommendations and continuing to work on interim visitor management solutions. We plan to complete the engineering study for North San Juan Fire Suppression project, including analyzing potential fees, and request cultural assessment from BLM, complete USDA funding application, complete environmental study on project site and begin pre-work needed to secure easements.  We will continue to partner with Penn Valley Community Foundation leaders to identify next steps. We will present the Public Draft of the Area Plan and listen to community members about the goals and policies presented, policy prioritization, and potential implementation actions. The public workshop will present potential policy alternatives for inclusion in the Area Plan and hear from community members about what they would like to see in their community, guiding future development and laying the framework for plan implementation.

4. To seek funding and advocate for economic development priorities we will continue to monitor CERF fund; submit letter of partnership and participation to CERF, including priority projects. We will continue to monitor and apply for climate adaptation and mitigation funds, and use community input to inform proposal development, and prepare to submit proposals in second quarter of 2022, and identify advocacy opportunities.

5. To support business attraction, retention and growth, we will sustain business technical assistance through SBC contract, continue to administer Community Resiliency Grant Funds, including new business-focused grants; and continue to share grant opportunities to local nonprofits and other small businesses.

• Economic Development workgroup to review framework and identify plan for and timeline to implement ARPA funded revolving loan fund for Nevada County small businesses.
• Sustaining the Nevada County Relief fund with current balance unchanged in Quarter one, to be leveraged for future needs.