Jacob Thomas, director of economic development at the East Central Indiana Regional Planning District (ECI), and Anna King Cross, ECI officer of community engagement, gave a year‑end recap of 2025 and early plans for 2026.

ECI described a multi‑year internship program that provides paid placements for college students and recent graduates to work on grant writing, marketing and community development. Thomas said ECI helped secure community crossings matching grants that produced just over $1.6 million in project funding for four or five towns, while collecting modest per‑community dues. He also said ECI is closing out a $500,000 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant and is exploring implementation funding in 2026.

The district reported success on Brownfields assessment grants (initial $500,000 award in 2021) and plans to apply for another $500,000 assessment grant. ECI also highlighted workshops on grant writing and digital literacy, a winter clothing drive and other community events, noting a roughly 26:1 leverage ratio for 2025 outputs in one referenced figure and an overall 16:1 historical ratio.

Why it matters: Regional planning districts aggregate staff capacity and grant-writing resources for multiple small governments and can produce outsized returns on modest per‑capita dues. Commissioners expressed appreciation for ECI's work to leverage local dues into grant funding and programming that benefits county residents.

Quote: "Our mission is to serve the local governments...by fostering a vision for regional economic growth through grant writing, facilitating infrastructure improvements, supporting economic development, and promoting quality of life," Jacob Thomas said.

Next steps: Commissioners encouraged continued partnership and noted ECI will return with updates on grant applications and program details in 2026.