ICMA's pilot Economic Mobility and Opportunity Cohort brought together teams from ten diverse local governments in 2023. The local governments were selected through a process that gauged readiness to implement EMO-centered strategies through policies, practices, processes, and programs. Click the links below to read more about the teams and their local activities supported through this program.
- Beloit, Wisconsin
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Beloit, Wisconsin crafted an affordable childcare action plan aimed at boosting workforce participation and enhancing economic stability.
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- Chesterfield County, Virginia
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Chesterfield County, Virginia launched the Learn, Explore, and Advance with Possibilities (LEAP) series of “micro conferences" providing access to wraparound services targeted for young adults, their English as a Second Language community, and users and providers of childcare services.
Related Links
Through multifaceted strategy, Chesterfield aims to increase access to quality, affordable childcare
- Dubuque, Iowa
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To support implementation of the city's Equitable Poverty Reduction and Prevention Plan, Dubuque, Iowa facilitated intercultural enrichment activities to engage targeted populations in workforce development opportunities and provided small, flexible startup grants to historically disadvantaged entrepreneurs.
Related Links
Learn more about the Equitable Poverty Reduction & Prevention Plan »
- El Paso County, Texas
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El Paso County, Texas funded a service-gap analysis to address shift-dependent childcare services and reduce barriers to workforce entry.
Related Links
GovLove Podcast: Innovation in Economic Mobility with Jose Landeros, El Paso County, TX
- Grand Island, Nebraska
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Grand Island, Nebraska quantified transportation challenges faced by students and early career workers in accessing jobs, education, and training opportunities, and identified a range of potential short-term and longer-term solutions for further evaluation.
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Gates Foundation takes on poverty in the U.S. with $100 million commitment
- Gresham, Oregon
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Gresham, Oregon drafted a poverty reduction and prevention plan that incorporated the resources of local nonprofit organizations and other community partners.
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- Meadville, Pennsylvania
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Meadville, Pennsylvania developed a housing action plan articulating roles for the city, its redevelopment authority, and other regional partners in enhancing the supply of and access to affordable housing.
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- Morgan Hill, California
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Through a process involving a community needs assessment, convening of a resource asset network, and a gap and opportunity analysis, the City of Morgan Hill, CA developed Elevate! Morgan Hill -- a strategy that aims to connect Spanish-speaking and lower-income community members to jobs and housing resources and to increase their sense of belonging to the community.
Related Links
Morgan Hill's Economic Mobility / ELEVATE Morgan Hill Website
Morgan Hill's Path to a Better Future: Diverse Voices on Affordable Housing Video
- San Juan County, Utah
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San Juan County, Utah developed an outreach and educational program designed to improve economic mobility among Native American populations and reduce barriers to public sector employment.
- Tarboro, North Carolina
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Tarboro, NC commissioned an evidence-backed, third-party housing study documenting needs and opportunities for safe, sustainable, affordable housing for the community, laying the foundation for future policy, procedures, and marketing and incentives.
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ICMA's Economic Mobility and Opportunity Cohort brought together teams from fifteen diverse local governments in 2024. The local governments were selected through a process that gauged readiness to implement EMO-centered strategies through policies, practices, processes, and programs. Read more about the teams and their local activities supported through this program.
- Charlottesville, VA
Charlottesville, Virginia, in collaboration with the University of Virginia, embarked on a comprehensive analysis of service gaps impacting the economic mobility of ALICE community members. This initiative aims to strategically guide future programs, partnerships, and investments.
- Danville, VA
Danville, Virginia has finalized an Economic Mobility Work Plan, set to be executed by their newly appointed Economic Mobility and Opportunity Manager. This pivotal role, initially reporting to the City Manager's Office, will spearhead efforts to enhance economic opportunities within the community.
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- Denton, TX
Denton, Texas undertook a strategic assessment to guide future investments and launched an innovative small business boot camp program. This initiative aims to empower local entrepreneurs and foster economic growth.
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- Eau Claire, WI
Eau Claire, Wisconsin hired an analyst to enhance the coordination of support and services, aiming to significantly improve youth outcomes.
- Gaithersburg, MD
Gaithersburg, Maryland initiated a strategic partnership between their local Financial Empowerment Center and an elementary school to enhance the financial stability of Spanish-speaking and New American parents. This collaboration aims to provide vital resources and support to these communities.
- La Marque, TX
La Marque, Texas collaborated with the Gulf Coast Transit District to introduce an innovative on-demand micro-transit service. This initiative aims to significantly enhance residents' access to employment and educational opportunities.
- Lisbon, ME
Lisbon, Maine created the Lisbon Empowerment and Achievement Program (LEAP) which provides residents with training on a range of topics related to financial literacy.
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- Miami Gardens, FL
Miami Gardens, Florida, in collaboration with Florida International University, has completed a comprehensive vacant property study. This initiative aims to identify available parcels for development, paving the way for future growth and revitalization.
- Needles, CA
Needles, California completed a comprehensive housing study to assess both current and future demands for market-rate and affordable housing. This initiative aims to strategically address the community's evolving housing needs.
- Newton, KS
Newton, Kansas joined forces with Latino Unidos and the Wichita State University Public Policy & Management Center to conduct a comprehensive community needs assessment for Latinx residents. This initiative aims to identify and address the unique needs of this vibrant community.
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- Prescott Valley, AZ
Prescott Valley, Arizona completed a comprehensive Economic Mobility Analysis to pinpoint strategic opportunities for future investment and planning. This initiative aims to drive sustainable growth and enhance economic prospects for the community.
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- Redwood City, CA
Redwood City, California launched a bilingual, youth-focused EMO survey designed to shape the vision for future economic mobility and safety strategies. This initiative aims to engage young voices in crafting a more inclusive and secure future for the community.
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- Thomasville, NC
Thomasville, North Carolina created a city-sponsored tool and equipment-sharing program designed to promote code compliance, volunteerism, and social cohesion.
Related Links
- Tunica County, MS
Tunica County, Mississippi conducted extensive community engagement to formulate a visionary five-year EMO strategic plan. This initiative aims to shape future economic mobility and safety initiatives, fostering a more prosperous and secure community.
Related Links
Economic Mobility & Opportunity Five-Year Strategic Plan 2025-2029
- Washington County, OR
Washington County, Oregon completed a comprehensive economic opportunity assessment to pinpoint strategic opportunities for enhancing service delivery throughout the county. This initiative aims to drive efficiency and better serve the community's needs.
About | Technical Assistance | Knowledge Resources | Contact
Project Details
About
ICMA TAB is a U.S. EPA grant-funded program that provides free technical assistance to brownfield impacted communities throughout the eight southeastern states and six tribes in the U.S. EPA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee).
Through the ICMA TAB program, communities in EPA Region 4 can access free technical assistance to support brownfield redevelopment efforts.
- What Are Brownfields?
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What Are Brownfields?
In everyday terms, brownfields are properties that might be contaminated. The perceived (or actual) contamination makes reuse of such sites difficult. Common examples of brownfields include abandoned gas stations, former dry cleaner sites, vacant commercial buildings on any Main Street corridor, or the large fenced off industrial site where people in the community used to work. Brownfields and their redevelopment challenges are found in all communities—large, small, urban, and rural.
Every site has a history. Some site histories include operations that might have released contamination, pollutants, or toxins into the soil, groundwater, and surface water. Buildings on brownfield sites may be impacted by past hazardous releases in the soil and/or groundwater beneath them, or even by the materials that comprise buildings themselves.
Definition: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a brownfield as, "a property where expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant".
- Impacts
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Impacts
Legacy sites and the former releases of petroleum, hazardous substances, or materials can create negative public and environmental health conditions that need to be addressed before a brownfield can be redeveloped. Brownfields also tend to fall into disuse creating a cycle of decline, and they may harbor unlicensed or illegal activity that is undesirable for the surrounding community. Such typical outcomes of unaddressed brownfield conditions have significant economic implications greatly reducing tax revenue, employment, and business opportunities.
These impacts are not felt evenly across all communities. Lower income communities and communities of color endure a disproportionate share of brownfields and their negative impacts. As such, if equitable in implementation, brownfield redevelopment outcomes that address brownfield conditions often include advancement of environmental justice goals.
- Benefits of Redevelopment
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Benefits of Redevelopment
Brownfield redevelopment catalyzes a host of benefits including job creation, economic development, healthier communities, improved natural environments, community building sustainability, resilience, and a stronger sense of place. Using improved public health and environmental quality to leverage economic development gets to the heart of brownfield redevelopment.
Technical Assistance
ICMA TAB offers tailored technical assistance, free of charge, to assist in transitioning brownfields from liability to asset. This assistance is made possible through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities (TAB) program. Throughout EPA Region 4, ICMA can provide technical assistance and give clear and actionable direction and feedback about specific sites, area-wide strategies, brownfield basics, best practices, technical subjects, building a brownfields program and program capacity, accessing EPA grant resources, and financial, legal, and regulatory processes, and more.
Contact
Clark Henry, director, chenry@icma.org
Christopher Harrell, senior program manager, charrell@icma.org
Madalyn Dessy, assistant program manager, mdessy@icma.org
Key Project Information
Funder
Period of Performance
Location
United StatesICMA's Role
Project Details
Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program (TCTACs) will support communities, particularly those adversely and disproportionately affected by environmental, climate, and human health harms and risks, to identify, access, and deploy resources to create transformative change for communities and individuals.
Collectively, we are building the Thriving Communities Network that connects and supports the local and regional leaders advancing environmental action in their communities across the country.
Regional Technical Assistance Centers
A network of regional Technical Assistance Centers will provide technical assistance, training, and resources to help communities, including local governments, nonprofit organizations, and other community-serving institutions, to access the resources they need to succeed. The Technical Assistance Centers will build the capacity of communities to navigate federal grant application systems, write strong grant proposals, and effectively manage grant funding. Support may include guidance on community engagement, meeting facilitation, and translation and interpretation services for limited-English-speaking participants. Each Regional Technical Assistance Center will be tailored to meet the needs of their region.
National Technical Assistance Centers
ICMA and two other organizations have been selected to support the Thriving Communities Network at the national level. Together, our organizations will:
- Leverage our networks of local governments, state and tribal governments, nonprofits, community leaders, and public health and environmental action advocates to scale solutions nationally.
- Support the Regional Technical Assistance Centers with training, resources, technical assistance, and opportunities for peer learning.
- Provide additional technical support to communities in ways that supplement and support the regional centers.
- Raise awareness and engagement by engaging key stakeholder groups through our online platform, conferences, events, resources, and trainings.
- Accelerate the dissemination of successful tools, models, and resources.
Contact
For additional information about TCTACs, visit the EPA website, or contact tctac@icma.org.
