Golden Triangle Planning & Development District Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2018-2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.................................................................................................... 1 Summary Background ..................................................................................... 3 SWOT Analysis ................................................................................................ 9 Goals and Objectives ..................................................................................... 13 Public/Private Partnership .............................................................................. 16 Strategic Projects, Programs, and Activities .................................................... 17 Action Plan ................................................................................................... 18 Performance Measures .................................................................................. 19 Economic Resiliency ...................................................................................... 21 Planning ....................................................................................................... 22 Development Strategy ................................................................................... 23 Evaluation .................................................................................................... 26 Public Notice ................................................................................................. 29 I. Introduction The Golden Triangle Planning and funding at the local, state, and regional Development District Comprehensive levels. Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) The Comprehensive Economic provides an overview of the geographic, Development Strategy (CEDS) demographic, political, economic, contributes to effective economic environmental and social characteristics development through a locally-based, of the seven (7) counties and twenty regionally-driven economic development (20) municipalities that comprise the process. District. The CEDS is a local planning and The Economic Development implementation process designed to Administration (EDA) provides assistance create jobs, foster a more stable and to economic development districts to diversified economy, improve living assist them in their participation in the conditions, and provide a mechanism for district planning process. EDA district guiding and coordinating the efforts of planning focuses on identifying pressing persons and organizations concerned district needs, stating district goals and with economic development. The strategies, and designating specific document describes the problems, development programs to respond to needs, and resources of the GTPDD them. The development programs area; identifies goals and objectives of included policies, development the development strategy, presents the strategies, and specific projects for strategies and action plans devised to funding. achieve those goals, and outlines Under Appalachian Regional standards for evaluation of the program’s Commission (ARC) grant assistance achievements. programs, priorities for funding must be Investments made in the Golden included in the Commission approved Triangle Planning and Development Mississippi Appalachian Development District (GTPDD or “District”) is guided by Plan and Investment Program. In a planning process. Development selecting programs and projects to planning is not a static decision, but recommend for grant assistance, states instead is made up of a group of consult within the planning and continually evolving activities and development districts and takes into actions. It is constantly undergoing consideration their District Development review and revisions as priorities, Program goals, objectives, priorities, and conditions, and objectives change within recommendations. This process provides the area. This process gives citizens of a direct linkage between district planning the planning and development district an and programming, State Appalachian opportunity to participate directly at Development planning, and approval of many points along the way in the ARC grant assistance. formation of the programs and projects With the passage of the Economic in the District. This process serves to Development Act of 1965 and the fuse into one system the planning, Appalachian Act of 1965, a new concept setting of priorities and programming of of assistance to local government began to evolve. This new concept gave rise to a statewide system of planning and A Closer Look at GTPDD… development districts in Mississippi. The Golden Triangle Planning and Development District (GTPDD) was organized under the Appalachian Development Act of 1965 and began operation on July 1, 1970. The GTPDD was officially recognized as a sub-state planning and development district on July 11, 1971, when Governor John Bell Williams signed Mississippi Executive Order Number 81. The GTPDD was formed for the purpose of improving and enlarging economic development and civic improvement in Choctaw, Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Webster and Winston counties. The Economic Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census Development Administration has also recognized the GTPDD as an economic development district. Total Population On June 8, 1972, the Golden Triangle 177,627 Planning and Development District received its corporate charter as a multi- county, multi-purpose, non-profit Civilian Labor Force economic development corporation. This 74,470 charter was revised on October 27, 1976. The major purpose of the planning and Unemployed development district is to provide a 3,880 single system of planning and programming efforts with a regional Unemployment Rate approach. Because of their multi- 5.2% functional capability, many federal and development districts provide a wide range of technical assistance and Employed services to the local municipalities and 70,590 member counties. Average Income $33,886.00 Source: MS Dpt. Of Employment Security Golden Triangle PDD CEDS 2018-2021 Page 2 II. Summary Background Demographics: The population and the Population density in 2010 has economic base are primary components decreased in the GTPDD in six of the of a region. Past and present population seven counties. For comparison, the and economic data reveal facts, which persons per square mile by county in have implications for future 2010 were: (1) Choctaw, 20.00; (2) development. The following is a Clay, 50.00; (3) Lowndes, 115.00; (4) discussion of the demographic, social, Noxubee, 17.00; (5) Oktibbeha, 104.00; and economic characteristics of the (6) Webster, 24.00; (7) Winston, 32.00. GTPDD. District-wide, the population density has decreased from 51.06 in 2000 to 50.08 in Population: The seven counties, which 2010. The highest density levels are in comprise the Golden Triangle Planning Lowndes County (118.00 persons per and Development District, had 177,627 square mile) and Oktibbeha County persons in 2010. The population count (104.00 persons per square mile), in 2000 was 179,227, which represented according to 2010 Census statistics. a decrease of 1,600 or 0.89%. These two counties account for the Population estimates for 2016 indicate major population centers in the seven that every county in the GTPDD, except county area. Choctaw, Clay, Noxubee, Oktibbeha and Webster Counties, Webster and Winston Counties are experienced a loss of population with primarily rural with all of these counties Webster County loosing 4.7% of its but Clay having population densities of population and the District as a whole less than 50 persons per square mile. loosing approximately 0.639% of the The entire District can be classified as total population or 1,135 persons. basically rural in nature. The decrease in population in the In 2000, 44.87 percent of the GTPDD was still relatively small during population was non-white. The the last decade. Only small decreases percentage of non-white inhabitants in were registered in six counties, with one the GTPDD in 2010 was 45.9 percent. county registering a small increase. During the ten-year period from 2000 to Oktibbeha County had the largest 2010, the total population of the District percentage increase of 4.50 while decreased by 1,600 or 0.89 percent and Webster County had the largest there was a 1.03 percent increase in the percentage decrease of 4.70. The less non-white population. All counties populous rural counties are losing jobs experienced an increase in the non-white and people while their more urbanized population with the exception of counterparts are experiencing solid Oktibbeha and Webster counties. growth. The decline in manufacturing In 2010, the highest concentrations of jobs is partly to blame as many of the non-whites were in Noxubee County manufacturing facilities which have (72.9 percent), Clay County (58.19 closed or downsized were located in the percent), Winston County (47.7 percent), smaller counties. The job losses have Lowndes County (46.0 percent) and pushed residents to relocate to larger Oktibbeha County (40.8 percent) while cities where jobs are more plentiful. the remaining two counties, Choctaw and Golden Triangle PDD CEDS 2018-2021 Page 3 Webster, had less than 40 percent non- $28,758.00 and $29,915.00, respectively. white population. Clay ($33,197.00) and Winston ($33,725.00) counties are also below the Education: In 2016, Oktibbeha County regional average. Lowndes ($38,483.00) had the largest percentage of high school and