Hiawatha, Marion leaders signal early support for Collaborative Growth Initiative

An effort to bolster population in the greater Cedar Rapids region saw strong support from two of its municipal partners this week.

Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance talent attraction director Jodi Schafer this week continued her tri-city campaign with stops in Marion and Hiawatha to secure year one funding for the Collaborative Growth Initiative, a public-private partnership to bolster resident recruitment and retention.

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The Collaborative Growth Initiative began in 2023 as a collaboration between the cities of Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha and Marion and the Economic Alliance to address the region’s evolving workforce needs through population growth efforts.

“Brain drain has been talked about in Iowa (for years), … and we are hitting an inflection point where if we don’t stop losing residents or start to bring them back, we are going to have some real workforce challenges,” Schafer said. “That’s the why behind this.”

The long-term goal is to support those efforts through a mix of private and public funding sources, although Schafer said municipal investment is required to get the ball rolling. So far, local leaders appear to agree.

Hiawatha City Council members this week approved the city’s portion of year one funding, equaling $21,600, while Marion leaders signaled early intent to do the same when the $87,000 ask formally comes before council at a future meeting. Contribution estimates were divided up according to cities’ per capita and tax increment financing revenues.

Additional year one funding sources include a yet-approved $327,000 ask of the city of Cedar Rapids, with additional contributions coming from the Economic Alliance. The Cedar Rapids City Council heard Schafer’s presentation in late June and will vote on the matter at a future meeting.

Year-over-year municipal contributions are expected to decline over time, Schafer said, as private support and other potential funding sources gain momentum after a fundraising campaign is launched later this year.

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“I think this is a great initiative, and I’m super happy to see it moving forward,” Hiawatha Council member Rob Archibald said at this week’s council meeting. “I’m a big believer that what’s good for Hiawatha is good for the Corridor, and what’s good for the Corridor is good for Hiawatha.”

First year funding would support the launch of a talent acquisition website and agency marketing campaigns to showcase area employers, open jobs, housing opportunities and other community resources.

It also would go toward a targeted recruitment campaign to bring more remote workers to the greater Cedar Rapids area in partnership with MakeMyMove, an online service connecting remote workers with cities with relocation incentives.

The goal of the pilot program is to attract 15 remote workers by the end of year one by offering incentives to income-qualified, out-of-state remote workers willing to move to Cedar Rapids, Marion or Hiawatha within six months.

Remote workers “are fast movers, which is how we get quick wins,” Schafer said of the MakeMyMove pilot program. “They can move here, bring their job with them and contribute to the economy through the taxbase.”

In response to a question from Marion City Council member Grant Harper, Schafer said MakeMyMove also will give the Collaborative Growth team experience with targeted marketing that could be useful in future efforts to target high-demand job seekers such as those in health care or engineering.

The city of Marion already has $40,000 budgeted for the Collaborative Growth Initiative for fiscal year 2026, although council members would need to approve an additional $47,000 to meet the initiative’s $87,000 ask for year one.

The council this week indicated initial willingness to do so and directed city staff to bring the matter back for a formal vote at a future meeting.

“To me, this is a really important project. We need to have people move here, but we’re not very good at telling our story,” said Marion Mayor Nick AbouAssaly. “We’ve done a lot of work to make our region and our city attractive, now we need to be able to tell that story to outsiders.”

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