Centre and Cedar Bluff Mayors Invited To DC
The East Alabama Regional Planning & Development Commission (EARPDC) invited Centre Mayor Jay Howell and Cedar Bluff’s Mayor Bill Warren to attend the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and the Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA) 2026 Washington DC Conference. Also attending the conference was Rainbow City Mayor Joe Taylor, EARPDC Executive Director Lori Sokol, Deputy Director Frank Humber, Director of Planning Eric Wright, and several other staff members.
The Agenda sessions included:
- Federal initiatives.
- Available funding opportunities and current programs and approaches.
- Rethinking disaster responses and mitigation.
- Building community leaders.
- Future of rural economic development.
- How to align local strategies to capture emerging federal opportunities in rural communities.
- Connecting rural and smalltown America.
- Leveraging data for local impact.
- Scaling strategic planning with AI to cultivate stronger, smarter communities.
- How local development districts navigate constant change while cultivating regional strength.
Mayor Howell and Mayor Warren also had the opportunity to meet with Senator Katie Britt and her staff, Senator Tommy Tuberville’s staff, and Congressman Mike Roger’s staff about local appropriations for Centre and Cedar Bluff. Mayor Howell and Mayor Warren says they are thankful they had the opportunity to go and extends a Thank You to EARPDC for providing this great learning experience.
