Black Hawk, Linn, Johnson counties form lobbying coalition

[lunksmoo]

WATERLOO --- Black Hawk has officially joined Linn and Johnson counties to hire a lobbyist.

Members of the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously and with little discussion Tuesday to approve an agreement with the two counties to form the Interstate 380 Coalition and mutually employ L & L Murphy Associates of Oelwein to lobby the Iowa Legislature on their behalf.

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/black-hawk-linn-johnson-counties-form-lobbying-coalition/article_c94a5727-b336-5fbd-abb3-774009c67e9d.html

[lunksmoo]

The CR-IC corridor has made great strides over the past 2 decades; this only makes sense to create a full "I-380" corridor. The I-380 corridor will have:

-2 state universities (U of I in IC, UNI in CF)
-One world class hospital (U of I H&C in IC)
-3 full service super-regional shopping malls (Corral Ridge, Lindale, Crossroads)
-The two best casino resorts in Iowa (Riverside south of IC, The Isle in Waterloo) and the best water park in Iowa (Lost Island in Waterloo)
-The world's largest aviation information technology plant (Rockwell Collins in CR)
-The world's largest agricultural equipment manufacturing plant (John Deere in Waterloo)

Population of those 3 metro areas in 2010 census: 578,345

[econboy]

These are becoming increasingly common amongst areas that see the value of power in numbers when it comes to economic development. No doubt this will give the 380 corridor an edge when it comes to lobbying efforts in coming years. Especially as dollars become more and more scarce.