The money comes from two sources; $4,000 from the Ellsworth Cooperative Telephone Association and $2,000 from Aureon, a West Des Moines-based technology partner of Iowa’s local telephone companies, broadband and internet service providers. It operates large data centers in Des Moines and Minneapolis.

“This investment allows Ellsworth to take a thoughtful, community-driven approach to future growth while engaging the next generation of planners and designers,” explained Ottie Maxey, Executive Director of the Hamilton County Growth Partnership.

The plan is being prepared by students at Iowa State University’s College of Design. They will gather ideas and opinions from Ellsworth citizens, elected officials and business people.

The objective is to guide community and economic development over the next 10 years.

Cities provide critical everyday services to residents, including electricity, drinking water, wastewater, storm and sanitary sewers, to name some of the most obvious. Planning for a city’s future, including allowable uses of land through zoning, infrastructure, education and housing, may be the most important function of city government.

Iowa Code lays out a protocol for adoption of community comprehensive plans. When a draft plan is ready for consideration, a city’s planning & zoning commission will review it, seek formal public comment, and send its recommendations for change or improvement to city council, who then hold another public hearing before finally adopting the plan as law.

A completed comprehensive plan will open the door to further federal, state, and private funding to assist in the future development of Ellsworth.