An increasing number of rural counties suffer from a diminishing tax base while experiencing higher demands for services, according to preliminary results from a national survey conducted in part by The Ohio State University. Researchers at Colorado State University, the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) at Iowa State University and the National Association of Counties (NACo) also worked on the survey.
NACo will release its County Government Survey on Tuesday (7/24). NACo President and Sante Fe County Commissioner Javier Gonzales is expected to ask Congress to act quickly to help rural America by making changes to the Farm Bill.
David Kraybill, an Ohio State professor of community and regional economics, will discuss the survey results at 10 a.m. on Tuesday (7/24) at the National Press Club Murrow Room, in Washington D.C. Kraybill will be joined by Gonzales; Larry Naake, NACo executive director; and Linda Lobao, professor of rural sociology.
The report compares county governments in five key areas: public service provision, economic development, land use planning, finances and welfare reform. Findings are expected to highlight the wide gap in fiscal resources and local administrative abilities between urban and rural counties.
WHAT: Discussion of the County Government Survey results and congressional recommendations.
WHEN: 10 a.m., Tuesday (7/24).
WHERE: National Press Club Murrow Room, in Washington D.C.
WHY: The survey examines the condition of the nation’s farming industry and recommends steps that can be taken to improve the economic future of American agriculture.
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