Dec. 2010 Quarterly Executive Director Report
2010 continues to be a cold year. It was a very cool windy fall following a wet and cool summer but at least a great deal of the harvest time was dry. It appears that most of the area farmers had another successful year which again is so vital to the strength of our local economy. Of course winter was inevitable, the snow hit us hard in November and as I was driving to work today (13th) the temperature was 14 degrees below zero! So much for a mild winter!

Sept. 2010 Quarterly Executive Director Report
2010 has concluded as a very wet and cool summer. It was a good year if you were planting grass in your new yard as I did. My yard looks great unfortunately the weather did create some challenges for local farmers. So far it looks like fall may follow suit but hopefully we will have a warm dry one.

The 2010 economy has still had some struggles. Information from the State indicates that consumers still lack confidence in the economy and the short term financial picture and as a result are being very conservative in their spending patterns nationally which has far reaching impacts in the region. We again whittled back our 2011 budgeted expenses at CHEDA in anticipation of reduced revenues and we continue to look for new sources of revenue. State budget challenges appear to be tracking at anticipated levels and again will result in reduced tax collections and reduced local government aid. Hopefully we will see some positive changes in 2012.

June 2010 Quarterly Executive Director Report
I guess the motto for spring/summer of 2010 is “don’t forget your umbrella!” It is about time that the faucet gets turned off and the heat gets turned on. Sunny weather would sure be nice!!

The story for 2010 still looks grim as the economy continues to struggle. We are starting to pick away at our budgets and it is looking like continued challenges for local and state government as reduced tax collections and reduced local government aid are on the horizon for at least 2010 -2012. Hopefully we will see some positive changes in 2012.

March 2010 Quarterly Executive Director Report
Winter is finally nearing its end. Generally temperatures were mild but the snow was deep. Now as it melts off we are keeping a watchful eye on the river as it has reached flood stage.

2010 will prove to be a challenging yet interesting year for CHEDA. The economy continues to struggle, although in Crookston we are seeing some signs of recovery as some companies are advertising for positions that are new or were let go during last year’s cutbacks. The State’s budgetary issues will continue to impact our community as significant reductions to Local Government Aid loom in our future. This will likely have some impact on CHEDA revenues in the future, but as of now that impact is still unknown. I should also note that economic development activity is starting to pick up as we are starting to see some interest from individuals and businesses looking for commercial spaces to either expand or start up a business.