KVCOG’s Community and Economic Development staff provide a broad array of planning and technical assistance support services for municipal officials interested in taking advantage of State and federal financial programs for infrastructure development and other economic development projects. The staff help municipal officials prepare applications for both the federal Economic Development Administration and the Community Development Block Grant program.
Economic Development Administration (EDA)
EDA assists rural and urban areas experiencing high unemployment, low income, or other severe economic distress.
The most common use of EDA dollars is within the following programs:
- Public Works: EDA investments fund local public works infrastructure projects to allow communities to establish and support private sector businesses.
- Planning and Local Technical Assistance: EDA’s local technical assistance and planning grant program helps KVCOG fill the knowledge gaps that inhibit communities from responding to development opportunities or solving specific economic problems. A common purpose of these grants is to determine the feasibility of proposed economic development investments.
- Economic Adjustment Assistance: The EAA program provides a wide range of technical, planning, and public works and infrastructure assistance in regions experiencing adverse economic changes that may occur suddenly or over time. These adverse economic impacts may result from a steep decline in manufacturing employment following a plant closure, changing trade patterns, catastrophic natural disaster, a military base closure, or environmental changes and regulations.
For more information on EDA and their programs visit the EDA Website.
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)
The staff prepares and updates annually the U.S. EDA Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the region. The CEDS is a blueprint for economic growth and development in the region. The CEDS is the region’s link to U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) funding for specific economic development projects.
View our Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for years 2022-2027.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
KVCOG is a Technical Assistance Provider for the State of Maine’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The Maine CDBG program is a catalyst for projects that are part of a long-range community strategy. The program improves deteriorated districts and local economic conditions, provides incentives for further public and private investments, fosters public/private partnerships, and supports the revitalization of downtown districts.
Because it is a Block Grant, the State of Maine may develop its own federally-approved grant programs.
Visit the DECD-CDBG Website for the programs that are currently funded or contact:
Jessie Cyr
Community and Economic Development Director
(207) 453-4258, Ext 220
A Geographic Information System (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.
GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.
GIS helps you answer questions and solve problems by looking at your data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared.
KVCOG uses the latest GIS software, ESRI, and has an extensive database that includes geographic base data at the town, regional, and State levels. This data is used in a variety of projects, including transportation, economic development, and planning projects.
KVCOG provides a variety of mapping services to member towns upon request. We can create customized maps of communities showing a wide range of information including but not limited to: natural resources, public facilities, infrastructure, development trends, and/or locally-defined land use districts.
Digital Tax Maps
KVCOG is pleased to offer tax map digitizing. Prices are dependent on the size and scope of the project; members will most likely find KVCOG to be less expensive than private company alternatives as a direct result of membership.
Why digitize your Tax Maps?
The major advantage of digital maps is their versatility: digital tax maps can be viewed and printed at any scale and customized with different labels to suit different purposes.
A combination of numerical, textual and visual elements (e.g. digital photos of properties including buildings) can be embedded into the system and retrieved based on numerous spatial or statistical selection criteria.
Digital maps can be maintained and updated much faster than paper maps.
Digital maps require limited physical storage space and can be easily electronically backed up and protected against data losses, addressing the problem of a lack of office space and safe map storage facilities in municipal offices.
Digital tax maps can be easily overlaid with other information layers such as land use planning zones, new road openings, building footprints or physical terrain features. This allows the performance of different analysis and planning tasks within a local government unit. The integration of digital tax parcel data into assessing databases can provide a very quick and easy way to access all land and tax records through a spatial interface.
You can use satellite images to overlay digital municipal base maps.
Data and maps can be made accessible through internet and intranet, and can be easily shared in an electronic working environment.
Transparency and efficiency of local direct taxation can be enhanced.
Development Suitability Analysis
One of the most useful applications of GIS for planning and management is the land use suitability mapping and analysis. Broadly defined, land use suitability analysis aims at identifying the most appropriate spatial pattern for future land uses according to specify requirements, preferences, or predictors of some activity. The GIS-based land use suitability analysis has been applied in a wide variety of situations including:
- Ecological approaches for defining land suitability/habitant for animal and plant species
- Suitability of land for agricultural activities
- Geological favorability
- Environmental impact assessment
- Landscape evaluation and planning
- Selecting the best site for the public and private sector and regional planning
Visual Impact Assessment
(Currently, Kennebec County only – Somerset by 2017)
Using Digital Elevation Models from LIDAR data, KVCOG can now perform various forms of visibility analysis, ranging from constructing shadow models of structures and sight lines to generation of viewsheds and skylines.
If there is a cell tower or wind turbine proposal in your community we may be able to help with which areas of town will be visually impacted by them.
For more information, please contact Joel Greenwood:
Joel Greenwood, Executive Director
453-4258 ext. 213
KVCOG operates a Joint Purchasing Program for its member municipalities. The variety of materials vary and typically include road salt, flake calcium chloride, culverts, geotextiles, road signage, and composting equipment.
Annual Savings
KVCOG’s member municipalities saved approximately $110,083 in 2024 through the program. For some, the savings exceed their annual KVCOG membership fee.
Road Signs and Composting Equipment can be purchased at any time.
Contact:
Olivia Kunesh, Environmental Coordinator
207-453-4258 Ext. 219
Order Forms
Heavy Loads Limited Signs:
- $1.33 per sign | Member Municipalities
- $1.93 per sign | Non-Members
Bump Signs:
- $0.75 per sign | Member Municipalities
- $1.30 per sign | Non-Members
- Woven Geotextile, slit-film type, 12.5’ width, minimum 200 lb. tensile strength
- Non-Woven Geotextile, minimum 6 oz. per square yard,12.5’ width:
- Silt Fence, pre-staked, 3' x 100' roll.
Composting Equipment
Pricing and ordering information can be found here
*KVCOG distributes these products for Maine Resource Recovery Association, and therefore does not dictate the pricing of the products, nor profit from their sale.
Questions?
Contact:
Olivia Kunesh, Environmental Coordinator
207-453-4258 Ext. 219
Comprehensive Plans
KVCOG can assist with the creation and update of Municipal Comprehensive Plans to meet the towns long term planning goals and the State level requirements for Plans. Services range from basic information and guidance to a full service contract option at a subsidized membership rate to create a new plan for a community.
Why create a Comprehensive Plan?
Communities complete Comprehensive Plans for a variety of reasons. At their most basic level, communities complete Comprehensive Plans to prepare for the future. A comprehensive review of community issues and policies promotes discussion among neighbors and can help communities avoid problems that sometimes occurs when community decisions are made in a piecemeal fashion.
A comprehensive plan is a guide to the future for the town. It is not an ordinance or a set of rules, it is instead a guide for the town government to move in the direction the people want. It provides a map indicating what direction the town wants to go in over the next 10 years, and it also provides a “snapshot in time” of the town.
Good planning makes good communities.
A good Comprehensive Plan should enable a community to:
• Sustain rural living and a vibrant village center.
• Preserve a healthy landscape and a walkable community.
• Balance economic prosperity with quality of life
• Protect working waterfronts and/or community farms.
• Develop a discussion among neighbors.
• Develop a basis for sound decisions in town management.
Financial Incentives
State Law and various agencies have established incentives for communities to develop Comprehensive Plans. Over $80 million is awarded through 25 state grant and loan programs that either require or encourage applicants to have a consistent comprehensive plan. These include:
• DECD Funds / Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
-Housing Assistance - $500,000
-Home Repair Network - $1million
-Public Infrastructure - $1million
-Downtown Revitalization - $300,000
-Public Service Grant - $50,000
• Land for Maine’s Future - Multiple grants of $25,000
• Land and Water Conservation Fund - $500,000
• MDEP 319(h) Non-Point Source Protection Grants - $50,000 - $150,000
• DEP State Revolving Loan Fund - $200,000
• MDOT Village Partnership Initiative – Varies by Project but at least $50,000+
• MDOT Stream Crossing grant - $200,000
More than $4 million is available to towns with a consistent Comprehensive Plan!!!
In summary a Comprehensive Plan is there to encourage orderly growth and development in appropriate areas of the community, while protecting the towns rural character, making efficient use of public services and preventing any development sprawl.
Land Use Planning
These services are funded through the Department of Conservation, Agriculture, and Forestry and the Department of Transportation, municipal dues, and fee-for-service arrangements. Staff provides guidance ranging from phone calls to attendance at meetings and field visits. Work includes developing new ordinances, assisting with ordinance amendments and conducting workshops for individual member towns. Land Use Regulations include zoning, subdivision review, development (site) review, building code, ordinances regulating day care, mobile home parks, sludge spreading, signs, wind turbines, cell towers, or other potential nuisances.
KVCOG advocates for ordinances and review procedures that are easily understood and accessible by administrators as well as applicants.
KVCOG provides professional and technical assistance with drafting, implementing, administering, and enforcing land use and building regulations. The following are examples of land use services:
- Contracted Town Planner: KVCOG is able to provide town planner services to a municipality on an hours-per-month contract basis.
- Technical Assistance: Staff are available by phone, email or in person to answer questions of interpretation of regulatory language. When needed, staff may attend planning board or board of appeals meetings to assist a board in interpretation of provisions of their ordinances.
- Ordinance Drafting: KVCOG provides member towns with assistance in drafting ordinance language, ranging from simple amendments to entirely new ordinances. This assistance may include a number of meetings with local boards and other groups to gain information for the drafting process.
- Permit Review Assistance: KVCOG will assist a local board in reviewing applications for subdivision approval, development/land use permits, rezoning applications, etc. Staff also assist many towns to conduct reviews of large or complex subdivisions and site plans.
- Board Training: Staff will provide on-site or centralized training to volunteer boards. Topics include general board procedures, development procedures, forms and checklists, review practices, legal requirements. From time to time, KVCOG hosts a series of workshops at its Fairfield offices on procedural or technical planning topics.
Transportation Planning
The staff of KVCOG’s Planning Division conduct regional transportation planning projects and assistance to communities. These activities are funded by the Maine Department of Transportation.
For more information about any of our planning services, please contact:
Jessica Cobb, Senior Planner
453-4258 ext. 218
Contact Us
Hours
Office hours are:
Monday - Thursday
Appointment are recommended
as staff are in and out providing
assistance to the communities they are working in.
You can reach any staff member
Monday-Friday
via the contact information here