Humboldt County adopts comprehensive economic development strategy to pursue federal EDA funding

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on June 24 to accept the county's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (SEDS), a federally required plan intended to strengthen economic resilience and position the county to compete for U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants.

County staff and consultants described the SEDS as a multi-year strategy that identifies priority industries, workforce actions, infrastructure needs and performance measures. Peggy Murphy, interim program manager for the Office of Economic Development, said the SEDS 'is a federally required plan for communities to seek economic development funding through the U.S. Economic Development Administration.'

The SEDS lays out four mandated components: a community summary and background, a SWOT analysis, a strategic action plan with implementation steps and partners, and an evaluation framework with KPIs. Consultant Lindsay Blus, of Thomas P. Miller & Associates (TPMA), who led much of the analysis, told the board the plan was prepared within a compressed timeline and is intended to align Humboldt County with EDA priorities while emphasizing economic resiliency.

Key focus areas identified by TPMA during stakeholder workshops and a countywide survey of more than 1,800 respondents include modernization of legacy industries (timber, fisheries), development of emerging industries (renewable energy, aquaculture), small-business and entrepreneurial support, improved coordination among economic development partners, protection and sustainable use of natural assets, workforce and education linkages, housing, and infrastructure modernization (transportation, water and wastewater, grid improvements).

Blus said the strategy was shaped by three rounds of stakeholder engagement: industry-specific workshops, a strategy committee of public, private, nonprofit and tribal representatives, and a 30-day public-comment period. Staff reported about 27 formal comments were submitted; the SEDS committee accepted 14 of them outright, partially incorporated or deferred nine, and declined four (one duplicate). Responses to each public comment were recorded in the SEDS document.

Board members praised the work. Supervisor Madrone highlighted underutilized local assets, such as modular manufacturing capacity in Hoopa and workforce training tied to tiny-home production. Supervisor Wilson said the document provides a useful, actionable baseline for aligning programs and pursuing grant funding.

The board's unanimous vote accepts the SEDS for submittal to the U.S. EDA, enabling Humboldt County and local organizations to reference the plan when applying for EDA public-works and economic adjustment assistance grants.

Looking ahead, staff said the SEDS is intended to be a living document: although the plan is valid for five years under EDA rules, county staff and partners expect to revisit and update it periodically (staff discussed coordinating a shorter update cycle with regional workforce planning efforts).

The board action clears the way for the county to pursue EDA funding opportunities framed around the SEDS' priorities.