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Last updated on Wednesday, November 28, 2018
(INDIANAPOLIS) - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Indiana State Director Michael Dora announced a Community Facilities Direct loan in the amount of $16,400 to the City of Montpelier for a police vehicle and related equipment.
"This project will improve services being provided to the city's 1,805 residents in rural Blackford County," said Dora. "The federal loan funding is being leveraged with a $25,000 USDA Community Facilities grant and a $4,600 applicant contribution."
Nationwide, USDA is investing in 42 projects through the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program. The funding helps rural small towns, cities, and communities make infrastructure improvements and provide essential facilities such as schools, libraries, courthouses, public safety facilities, hospitals, colleges, and daycare centers.
More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities program funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally and state-recognized Native American tribes. Applicants and projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. Loan amounts have ranged from $10,000 to $165 million.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force's findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.
To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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