Why We Exist

Regional development commissions were authorized through the Regional Development Act of 1969. The Minnesota Legislature found that problems of growth and development transcended boundary lines of local government and that common solutions to local problems could be found by the pooling of resources through intergovernmental cooperation. The HRDC was formed in 1971 by local units of government in this spirit.

The HRDC exists to help improve the lives of the citizens of the Headwaters Region. It accomplishes this by working with its customers in a variety of areas to help address the most critical issues of the day.

How We Think of Ourselves

The HRDC is not a traditional agency. We do not have any form of legal implementation authority (other than our nonprofit subsidiary corporations), and much of our budget is not guaranteed from year to year. As a result, the Commission has developed an organizational culture that emphasizes customers, partners and results.

• Customers are King. Our customers -- their needs, problems, and aspirations -- are very important to us. We are successful to the extent that we can help our primary customers address their most significant problems on a year to year basis. Our customers include cities, counties, townships, state agencies, businesses, and others.
• Partners are Critical. Because of our broad mission and limited resources, partners that can help us deliver services are very important. The HRDC works hard to develop close and long-term relationships with partners.
• Results. Our primary customers continue to come back to us if we can help them achieve positive results addressing their priority issues. We know that our long-term success is determined by the level of success we have helping customers achieve their desired results.

How We Are Funded

While the HRDC receives modest funding from a property tax levy, much of our income comes from contracts with customers and partners. We have a handful of contracts we renew on a year to year basis, but we increasingly fund ourselves through special contracts with local governments for projects, and through income generated from services provided by our subsidiary corporations.