Umbaugh Becomes Founding Sponsor of IARC
Submitted by: Brian Long, Director of Practice Development

Umbaugh has become a founding affiliate member of the Indiana Association of Regional Councils (“IARC”).  Umbaugh is honored to be chosen the only Founding Charter Affiliate Member and we are proud to lend our support to the goals of the organization.  IARC is a statewide association of 14 organizations providing comprehensive regional planning services coordinated with local, municipal and county governments. 

Most of the Indiana regional government planning organizations have existed for over 25 years and IARC was established in 1997 to provide a forum for these councils to network and share ideas with each other.  This past year marked a milestone for the group.  Through a grant from the Indiana Rural Development Council, IARC hired a part-time executive director to strengthen the regional organizations and their statewide association.  Anne Trobaugh, the executive director, is responsible for carrying out IARC’s strategic initiatives and assisting with the oversight and coordination of the efforts of the 14 IARC members.

This strengthening of the association illustrates the growing need for increased coordinated planning among the different regions throughout the state; a practice also employed by school systems in its Educational Service Centers and libraries through its consortiums. 

Because different regions have different needs, the Regional Planning Commissions perform different duties and provide different services.  The list below includes only some of the examples of the services provided by the Regional Councils.

• Community and economic development;
• Housing;
• Transportation planning;
• Specialized services for the elderly;
• Head Start;
• Solid Waste; and,
• River Basin Management.

It is becoming more evident that many public needs are not merely local but more regional and even statewide concerns.  Regional coordination of programs and planning protects and preserves limited governmental resources and should assure a more comprehensive approach to overcoming the state’s problems and needs.  When the legislature provided for the creation of the Regional Planning commissions more than 25 years ago, it recognized a need for regional coordination of governmental services and planning.  That need is even greater today.

We anticipate cooperation between governmental units will be of increasing importance in the years ahead.  Additional information regarding IARC and the services it provides may be obtained by contacting us directly at footnotes@umbaugh.com.