Regional planners outline projects, business loan fund and an outdoor-recreation grant for Chippewa County

Scott Allen, executive director of the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, told the Chippewa County Board on Nov. 12 that the commission continues to support seven counties with planning, grant administration and technical assistance and highlighted a new USDA-backed $70,000 grant to launch a regional outdoor recreation plan focused on rural business development.

The commission, Allen said, works across economic development, transportation, community development and conservation/mapping. "We serve as a coordinating organization between federal and state agencies and local governments," Allen said, and noted the commission helped update Chippewa Falls' comprehensive plan and produce county economic profiles staff distribute to local governments.

Toby Lemahue, who staffs the Regional Business Fund under contract, presented the fund's loan programs for businesses that cannot obtain traditional bank financing. "We are able to provide that additional source of capital if a business is not able to obtain traditional financing from a bank or a credit union," Lemahue said. He said the fund has assisted over 138 Chippewa County businesses and made about 141 loans totaling roughly $7,400,000; he described a 4% typical interest rate for standard products and a 1% rate for the facade program designed to help downtown revitalization.

Lemahue cited specific examples: A To B Mobile Repair received a $25,000 microloan for equipment, Auburn Coffee in New Auburn received combined microloan and facade financing ($25,000 and $35,000 reported), and Crescent Meats used the fund as gap financing alongside SBA and bank financing for an expansion.

Supervisors pressed presenters on local trends and implementation. Allen said the region is seeing an aging demographic and that Chippewa County is near the regional average; he said town and county comprehensive-plan updates and coordinated economic-development work are meant to support workforce retention. On hazard planning, Allen said the commission has applied for Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources assistance to update Chippewa County's hazard mitigation plan and that the update is intended to include "pre-disaster resiliency efforts" in coordination with emergency management officers.

On loan performance, Lemahue said the fund's delinquency rate is low and staff pursue missed payments through emails, calls and committee review; in some cases the fund files money judgments or accepts collateral at sheriff sales. He said the fund leverages private financing and borrower contributions — reported as about $66,000,000 leveraged — and that many borrowers report they would not have been able to start without the fund.

The board did not take any formal action on the presentations; members asked staff to keep the board informed as hazard-mitigation funding and the county comprehensive-plan update progress.

Next steps: the commission said it will return as work on the county comprehensive plan, sewer-service-area updates and the regional outdoor recreation plan advances.