The EFC and the Small Communities Water Infrastructe Exchange (www.scwie.org) led an effort to organize a special Funding Coordination and Small Community track at this year's 2006 State Revolving Fund Workshop. The workshop was held by CIFA (Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities).

Funding Coordination Strategies and Small Communities

Track Objectives:

Provide participants with new tools and techniques to improve their ability to provide funding efficiently and effectively to small (and large) communities.

Identify and examine federal and state-level barriers (and potential strategies for overcoming them) that hinder effective coordination and co-funding efforts.

Agenda

Monday, November 13
11:00-12:00	Trickle Down Coordination? Examination of the federal-level steps that are in place to promote cooperation between different federal and state funding agencies. What more can and should be done at the national and state level to promote funding coordination between different federal funders (e.g. EPA/SRF, HUD/CDBG, USDA) and federal and state funders? Why does coordination between federal and state programs work so much better in some states than others?	Moderator: Julie Cunningham, OK Water Resources Board Randy Plum, USDA (West Virginia) Rural Development George Ames, EPA CWSRF Peter Shanaghan, EPA DWSRF David Miller, USDA Steve Rhodeside, HUD/CDBG
2:00-3:00	Taking Co-funding to the Next Level: Techniques you can "try at home." Co-funding innovations. Many states now have coordinating bodies that hold regular meetings and have information exchange. After the basic coordination measures are established, what comes next? How far can coordination and co-funding go? What activities have the biggest impact? What activities are the hardest to implement?	Moderator/Presenter: Jeff Hughes, Environmental Finance Center (PPT) Jeff Brady, Executive Director- West Virginia Infrastructure & Jobs Development Council (PPT) David Sterman, NY Environmental Facilities Corporation (PPT) Tiffany Troidl, AZ Water Infrastructure Facility Authority (PPT)
3:30-4:45	Coordinating Environmental Reviews What is the impact on coordinated (and uncoordinated) environmental reviews among funding agencies? What can be done to coordinative environmental reviews? What other paperwork/requirements can and should be coordinated? (eg. Davis Bacon requirements)?	Moderator: Mark Bennett, AR Veronica Kasi, PA BWSFR, Department of Environmental Protection (PPT) David Price, South Carolina Paul Krizan, P.E. Larson Design Group
Tuesday, November 14
10:00-11:00	Regionalization --if it is such a great idea what are we doing about it? The role of funding coordination and mutually agreed upon incentives in supporting regionalization. What role should funders play in promoting consolidation and regionalization? What steps are taken to protect the interests of small communities and systems when regionalization is encouraged? What disincentives are used to assure funders do not promote options that fly in the face of good regional solutions?	Moderator: Jag Khuman, Maryland Sandy Williams, Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (PPT) Jeff Brady, Executive Director West Virginia Infrastructure & Jobs Development Council (PPT) Jeff Freeman, Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PPT)
11:15-12:15	Supporting and Coordinating Coordination Bodies Where can coordinating bodies turn to for support (ideas, organization support, best practices, etc?) Presentation of resources for state coordinating bodies to expand and refine the services they offer to small communities.	Moderator: Jeff Hughes Steve Grossman, SCWIE Heather Himmelberger

To obtain more information on this conference visit: www.cifanet.org/conferences.html