Pictured (L-R)–District 12 Rep., Brian Best, and Chamber Legislative Committee Member, Rick Hunsaker.
One of the major topics of discussion during this weekend’s Carroll Chamber of Commerce Legislative Forum was the continued vitality of Iowa’s rural communities. The state’s rural population has been steadily decreasing for decades. Carroll resident, Joel Lundstrom, says he worries these areas are approaching a threshold where it will no longer be feasible to live in small-town Iowa.
Region XII Executive Director, Rick Hunsaker, moderated Saturday’s forum. He says the problem extends to shortages in the local housing supply. According to Hunsaker, bringing new families or workers to the area is tough if they cannot find a place to live. District 12 Representative, Brian Best of Glidden, says housing is an issue he and other rural legislators have been trying to address in a variety of ways in recent years.
Best notes several programs are available now that encourage young professionals to begin their careers in rural Iowa, such as loan forgiveness or assistance for doctors, dentists, veterinarians, or teachers. However, Hunsaker says these and other similar initiatives do not address workforce shortages in other sectors of the economy.
Best says lawmakers are well-aware of these challenges, but there is no clear-cut answer.
Best adds he will support any measure in the legislature that aims to improve economic vitality in rural Iowa. Full audio from Saturday’s forum can be found below.
FULL AUDIO:
