In 1969, the Minnesota legislature passed legislation that established Regional Development Commissions. The legislature believed that issues of growth and development often transcend local government boundary lines and that common solutions to local problems could be found by pooling resources through intergovernmental cooperation. It is in that spirit that the Region Five Development Commission was formed in 1973, by local units of government in Wadena, Todd, Morrison, Crow Wing and Cass counties.

The work of the Region Five Development Commission staff is guided by a commission made up of twenty-one members. Members include five county commissioners (one per county), five municipality representatives from cities with a population under 10,000 (one per county), one municipality representative from cities with a population of 10,000+, five township board members (one per county), two school board representatives, one council of governments representative, one Leech Lake Tribal Council representative and one Soil & Water Conservation District representative.

R5DC recently announced the addition of Katy Botz to the commission. She was chosen to represent school boards in Region Five. Ms. Botz is employed by the Pine River Backus School District.

R5DC provides high quality professional planning, development assistance and other services through collaboration and coordination with local units of government, organizations and citizens. The ultimate objective of the R5DC is to enhance the vitality and quality of life in the five county regions. The commission has directed R5DC to develop core programs. These core programs include Economic Development (Federally designated grantee/ business revolving loan fund/JOBZ zone administrator and low-interest funding for septic systems in Cass, Crow Wing and Wadena counties), Community Development (Land use planning/ordinance work/community planning technical assistance) and Transportation Initiatives (Liaison between local governments and MnDOT/ road recording technical assistance). Special projects and grant writing are also included in the menu of services. In addition, R5DC supports initiatives that focus on local foods and energy efficiency projects.

“At our board of directors meeting, R5DC discussed how we serve the five county area. The commission does recognize how the economic climate and quality of life has changed within the region. R5DC has adapted our strategy to squarely address emerging regional critical issues and squarely meet new challenges. We welcome new commissioners to assist in continued efforts to enhance the vitality of communities in our region,” commented Executive Director, Cheryal Lee Hills.

For more information visit us online at www. regionfive.org.