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Macomb Looking for New Community Developer

Rich Egger

Macomb Community Development Coordinator Ed Basch said the job always kept him on his toes during his nearly seven years with the city.

“The job here has never been boring because there are so many different aspects of it,” said Basch, whose final day will be Monday, January 13.

Basch is leaving Macomb to be a project manager with the Iowa Economic Development Authority.  This will be his first state job after a career spent working with local governments.

Basch said Macomb’s accomplishments during the past seven years include the downtown revitalization project that is just getting started, the creation of the Historic Preservation Commission and the Courthouse Square Historic District, and upgrades to the Unified Development Code, which includes zoning and subdivision regulations.

“I think we did a number of things to help the community. Not just myself but obviously with the cooperation of other staff, the mayor and the council –both mayors (Mick Wisslead and Mike Inman) and the varying council members,” said Basch.

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He also feels the “Fix or Flatten” program is working, and he said the special census was a success. He said Macomb’s population increased enough during the special census for the city to receive roughly an additional $215,000 per year for the next eight years.

“Obviously that lets the city do more with the money that they have and it releases the pressure on the sales tax and the property tax,” said Basch, who pointed out the special census cost around $100,000 – an expense that will quickly be covered by the additional revenue.

Basch believes Macomb is on the right track, and he is confident the city will hire a replacement who can carry on and do quite well.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.