Dubuque to keep metropolitan status and the benefits that come with it
After landing on a list of 144 cities at risk of losing their metropolitan status, Dubuque will keep its designation as a metro area and the access to federal funding and other critical resources that comes with it.
First Congressional District Representative Ashley Hinson has been fighting for Dubuque since The Office of Management and Budget announced the proposal in March. Under it, a metro area would've had to have at least 100,000 people in its core city to count as a metropolitan statistical area (MSA). The current threshold of 50,000 has been in place for the last 70 years and will remain in place after the OMB announced they would not be moving forward with the proposal.
"I am thrilled that following my efforts, OMB has agreed to keep the current population threshold in place so that Dubuque can maintain its status as a metropolitan area," Hinson said. "Dubuque's metropolitan status is critical to attracting new business and obtaining federal resources for the community, and OMB's proposed change would have jeopardized economic development opportunities in Dubuque. I will continue fighting for, and securing, policies that will allow our communities to grow and thrive."
In addition to speaking directly with OMB Acting Director Shalanda Young several times, Hinson also wrote to the agency expressing her formal opposition to the change and cosponsored legislation to prevent it. Most recently, she succeeded in including a provision directing OMB to rescind the proposal in the Appropriations bill that funds the agency.
Had the proposal been put in place, Dubuque and cities like it, would have been changed to micropolitan statistical areas instead. Federal officials say the proposal was purely for statistical purposes and not to be used for funding formulas, however several housing, transportation and Medicare reimbursement programs are tied to communities being metropolitan statistical areas.
The Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce released a statement Wednesday morning following Tuesday's announcement.
“We are extremely pleased to see this issue resolved with a positive outcome for Dubuque. We could not have done this without Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, who led the national debate on this issue and put pressure on OMB for months.
With this past us, the Dubuque business community can turn its focus back to growing our workforce, investing in growth, and continuing the COVID-19 recovery effort.”
Molly Grover, President & CEO, Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce