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Discussion of Performance Goals/Indicators: The availability of needed community facilities in rural communities helps achieve the Departmental goal to “Expand economic and trade opportunities for agricultural producers and other rural residents.”
Since the programs began in 1965, over 80 different types of projects have been financed with Community Facility funds. Examples of these projects are child care centers, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, health clinics, fire stations, libraries, telecommunications, school facilities, community buildings, and industrial parks. The development of performance measures for these programs is complicated by the wide variety of projects which can be funded. While applications are prioritized upon receipt, with health and safety receiving top priority, projects are generally funded in the order of receipt at the state-level to ensure equity in the distribution of funds. As a result, it is impossible to know ahead of time what the mix of funded projects will be during the fiscal year.
Community Facilities projects are grouped into three categories (Community Health, Emergency Services, and Education and Child Care) in order to simplify the presentation of performance measures. For each category there is one or more measures of the number of new or improved facilities to be provided in rural areas during the fiscal year. This output measure is supported, where possible, with an assessment of the impact of the project, such as the number of hospital beds added to the stock in rural communities or the number of children served in a day care facility.
A key component of the Rural Development strategic plan is that all programs would develop partnerships with the other organizations involved in rural development. The purposes of these partnerships are to encourage strategic delivery of the programs of both organizations and to coordinate the delivery of technical assistance and financing to rural communities. Two of the performance measures relate to the leveraging of the program’s funds which is the most likely outcome of the partnerships. Leveraging of funds extends the impact of Rural Development’s limited funds and brings additional dollars into the development of rural communities.
Means and Strategies: Achievement of the FY 2001 Performance Goals and Indicators is contingent upon receiving the program and general support resources indicated in this plan. The FY 2000 program levels and projected performance targets are based on Congressional appropriations and are not subject to changes that could impact a program’s subsidy rate, such as fluctuations in the Treasury discount rate. As required by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the program-specific subsidy rates utilized in the development of the President’s FY 2000 Budget will be used when establishing obligations of FY 2000 funds. Funds expended in any particular program could be impacted, however, by the movement of funds from one program to another as authorized by the Rural Community Advancement Program.
Specific strategies to achieve the performance goal include:
• Build leveraging partnerships to expand resources going into rural areas.
• Support Welfare Reform by promoting development of day-care facilities.