The Hamilton County Growth Partnership is one year old.

Focused on economic growth across the county, its 30 members — the partnership calls them “investors” — include banks, businesses, city governments, school districts, electric utilities, medical facilities, and Iowa Central Community College.

Two words characterize its first year work: collaboration and commitment.

Beyond the high-profile spectacle of a keynote address by Debi Durham last Thursday, the partnership quietly released its first annual report. It claims to have played a role in bringing $12 million to projects across Hamilton County in what it calls external funding. Most of the money is in the form of grants and tax credits.

One of the largest sources of the $12 million total is a $4.97-million-dollar grant to fund the long-planned rebuilding of the highway bridge over the railroad tracks in Williams. A million dollars of the total comes from the Iowa Department of Transportation’s bridge replacement fund; a further $1.24 million is being funded by Hamilton County’s local option sales tax and farm-to-market roads fund; and the remaining $2.73 million is from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Building Bridges program. The partnership, through collaboration with the Ames Regional Economic Alliance, lobbied in favor of the funding.

Almost half the $12 million is in the form of a $5.8 million new market tax credit. These are complex, but in essence are grants to distressed economic areas from the U.S. Treasury. Hamilton County meets the requirements for such funding. The mechanism for disbursement is called a Community Development Entity, and the partnership can fulfill that role.

The partnership also participated in securing a workforce housing tax credit of $1.066 which will be applied to the planned 219-unit rental apartment development on Webster City’s west side by Kading Properties of Urbandale, and a planned 50-unit project on the southeast side by Kenyon Hill Ridge LLC. Both projects have 2026 start dates.

The partnership cites $93,500 in funding for certifying 450 acres of Webster City’s expanded industrial park. The city itself committed $105,000 to this effort, which should be complete early in 2026. Certification of industrial land is one of the most important steps the city can take in making land in the industrial park attractive to companies looking to expand.

A $100,000 grant was secured from the Iowa DOT to pay for a study examining the need for a rail port in or near Webster City’s industrial park. A rail port is a facility allowing transfer of freight between railroad cars and trucks and vice-versa. A rail port would be an attractive feature to have in attracting certain industries which must, or prefer to, ship by railroad. A Minneapolis firm, SRF Consulting Group, was retained to complete the study, and results should be available early in 2026.

Partnership Executive Director Ottie Maxey has placed a major emphasis on retaining and supporting businesses already in Hamilton County. To this end, the partnership sponsored 12 industry visits to local businesses to determine their needs to thrive, and suggest how the partnership might assist them in future.

The partnership launched its new website, as well as an independent Facebook page, in October 2025. Memberships are available. More information is available at hamiltoncountygrowthpartnership.com or by phoning Ottie Maxey on 319-202-8876.