|
The EFC continues to assist, in various ways, coordination between various water and wastewater funding agencies in different states. The EFC provides direct assistance to the agencies and has helped in creating two Funders' Forums - in NC and GA - and has researched models and strategies for coordinating
state water infrastructure funding. We creates tools and conducted
trainings to communicate best practices to the larger infrastructure funding
community. Most states have at least 3 or 4 significant public water infrastructure
funding agencies and some states have a dozen or more. Local communities
that rely on public funding assistance often find navigating this type
of funding environment challenging, especially since many funded projects
involve multiple funding agencies. Well designed funding coordination
activities can help stretch limited public dollars further and streamline
the efforts of both local communities and funding agencies. The EFC provides
practical analytical and facilitation assistance to funding agencies interested
in expanding and improving their funding coordination.
The EFC helped initiate Funders' Forums in two states: North Carolina and Georgia. Funders'
Forums are periodic or regular meetings between the different funding agencies providing infrastructure
funding to water and wastewater projects in the state. At these meetings, program managers from the various
agencies update each other on funding levels, the status of their programs and funds, discuss opportunities to
co-fund projects that may not be completely funded through one program alone, share information about projects
that may have applied for funding through more than one agency, and generally share and discuss any issue
that may be of mutual interest. In both states, the EFC helped initiate and organize the first few Forums,
and assist the transition of the organizer role to one of the funding agencies. The objective
of the Funders' Forum is to maximize the efficient allocation of limited public funding for water and wastewater infrastructure.
The EFC also initiate and help organize periodic Funders' Fairs, where a panel of program
managers from various funding agencies meet with a small number of consultants and utility staff who present
to the funding agencies upcoming capital projects that they may be interested in applying to loans and
grants for. The funding agencies would then offer advice about which funding program would best fit the needs
of the capital project. This provides the utilities an excellent opportunity to get first hand information
about the funding programs and have their questions answered. No commitments are made at the Funders' Fairs -
the utilities must still complete the funding application and follow the regular procedure.
The following agencies meet quarterly in the NC Funders' Forum:
Summary of the different NC water, wastewater and stormwater funding programs (pdf)
Contact information for the NC funding programs (pdf)
NC onsite wastewater systems: funding and resources
Summary of the different GA water, wastewater and stormwater funding programs (pdf)
Assessment of State Infrastructure Coordination Models
In 2007, the NC
Rural Economic Development Center provided funding to the EFC to
analyze funding coordination models from around the country. As part
of the project, the EFC also carried out stakeholder interviews and
focus groups with over 30 representatives from funding agencies, local
communities, and assistance providers to better understand barriers
to different coordination models. Material from the project is presented
below.
Stakeholder Questionnaires
Representatives from the three main groups below were
interviewed.
Funding
Agencies' Questionnaire (pdf)
Planners/Technical
Assistance Providers' Questionnaire (pdf)
Representatives
of North Carolina Communities' Questionnaire (pdf)
Assessment of State Infrastructure Coordination Models
NC
Rural Center - Summary of Other State Approaches (pdf)
NC
Rural Center Summary Matrix of State Coordination Activities (MS
Excel file)
Public Funding Analysis
View
the report
By request from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the EFC worked
with funding agencies from 13 states to compile an exhaustive public
funding database that included over 24,000 records for publicly funded
water and wastewater projects. The project also included a survey of
more than 80 funding program managers throughout the region to solicit
views concerning funding program design and funding coordination.
Improving Funding Sources' Coordination (pdf)
National US EPA Capacity Development and Operator Certification Workshop
September 13-16, 2010, Dallas, TX
Shadi Eskaf presented on improving funding coordination using case studies and examples of work that the EFC has performed in NC and GA.
Coordinating Water/Wastewater Infrastructure Funding: Overview of State Practices (pdf)
NC Legislative Study Commission on Water and Wastewater Infrastructure
January 20, 2010, Raleigh, NC
Jeff Hughes was asked by the Legislative Study Commission to provide members with information on water funding coordination practices in use across the country.
Funding Coordination Educational Track
Council of Infrastructure Funding Authorities State Revolving Fund Workshop
November 4-7, 2007, Denver, CO
EFC co-sponsored this workshop. The sessions highlighted coordination practices, tools, and initiatives from across the country.
Incentives and Disincentives for Cooperation Among Service Providers (pdf)
Presentation to the NC State Water Infrastructure Commission
April 7, 2007, Raleigh, NC
Jeff Hughes presented on the subject using results of the EFC research. Click here to read the working notes of the presentation.
Funding Coordination Practices and Perspectives (pdf)
March 12, 2007, Raleigh, NC
This presentation gives an overview of common coordination practices
and models in other states. It also summarizes NC stakeholder perspectives.
Handbook
on Coordinating Funding for Water and Wastewater Infrastructure - A Compilation of State Approaches - EPA Publication
Small Community Water Infrastructure Exchange (SCWIE)
|
