TCCLESMD LogoCEDS Online
Introduction

The Tri‐County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland is a semi‐independent state agency formed by an Act of the Maryland General Assembly in 2001. The purpose of the Council is to facilitate regional planning and economic development in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. The Council membership is made up of municipal, county, and state elected officials as well as the county administrators from the three counties.

The Council is a designated Economic Development District (EDD) through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. As the region’s EDD, the Council is responsible for developing a CEDS designed to identify regional priorities for economic development. In addition to acting as a planning tool for a region, the CEDS allows an EDD to engage with the EDA and other federal partners to receive infrastructure and technical assistance grants.

The CEDS allows an EDD to engage with the EDA and other federal partners to receive infrastructure and technical assistance grants.

To receive designation as an EDD a multi-jurisdictional entity (such as the combined three counties of the Lower Shore) must have an EDA‐approved CEDS and meet certain regional distress criteria identified in federal regulations. As a practical matter, the CEDS is required to undergo a complete reevaluation every five years with updates on an annual basis.

Effective Regional Planning

A well‐developed CEDS has a purpose not served by single‐jurisdiction planning documents. By its very nature, the CEDS process leverages the resources and input of all entities within a multi‐jurisdictional unit, in this case Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties and their municipalities. The final document is truly regional in both its outlook and its analysis of hard data. The end result is a document that actually augments the planning process of individual jurisdictions by providing a comprehensive look at the total resources of a region.

More important, the CEDS is the result of a locally based, “regionally owned” planning process. Despite the requirement of EDA that there be a CEDS, the document and the process are not created or dictated by EDA. The regional priorities outlined in the CEDS are the result of deliberation by the CEDS stakeholder committee comprised of representatives of organizations located in the region and wich have specific knowledge and experience rooted in the region and its communities.

The goal of the CEDS is to articulate input from all the citizens of the region. To this end the CEDS process leverages the involvement of the public, private, and non‐profit sectors while providing a mechanism for stakeholders to engage in vigorous and meaningful conversation and debate about the economic direction of the region.

In summation, the CEDS document is:

  • Comprehensive in its approach as it employs the input and experience of persons and organizations with a wide range of expertise and backgrounds within the entire multi‐jurisdictional entity;
  • Economic-focused in that it surveys a broad range of specific economic sectors while considering trends and employing hard data in its analysis;
  • Development-oriented as it considers the range of variables effecting economic activity and its impact and benefits to citizens, and
  • Strategy-based in its underlying attention to economic resiliency and diversification while exploring the retention and further development of traditional and existing industries, all within a framework of regional planning.

Finally, the ultimate goal of the CEDS and its process is to create a pathway to opportunities for all residents of the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, specifically:

  • Excellent education and workforce development;
  • Fulfilling and financially rewarding employment;
  • Adequate and affordable housing;
  • A sustainable environment;
  • A high quality of life;
  • A range of healthcare options.

Tri-County Council CEDS Committee

  • Seal of Somerset County Maryland
    Charles Laird
    Somerset County Commissioner
  • Seal of Somerset County Maryland
    Randy Laird
    Somerset County Commissioner
  • Seal of Somerset County Maryland
    Craig Mathies
    Somerset County Commissioner
  • Seal of Somerset County Maryland
    Darryl Webster
    Somerset County Commissioner
  • Seal of Somerset County Maryland
    Eldon Willing
    Somerset County Commissioner
  • Wicomico County Seal
    Julie Giordano
    Wicomico County Executive
  • Wicomico County Seal
    James Winn
    Wicomico County Council
  • Wicomico County Seal
    Jeff Merritt
    Wicomico County Council
  • Wicomico County Seal
    Shaine Shields
    Wicomico County Council
  • Wicomico County Seal
    Shane Baker
    Wicomico County Council
  • Seal of Worcester County, Maryland
    Ted Elder
    Worcester County Commissioner
  • Seal of Worcester County, Maryland
    Joe Mitrecic
    Worcester County Commissioner
  • Seal of Worcester County, Maryland
    Caryn Abbott
    Worcester County Commissioner
  • Seal of Worcester County, Maryland
    Eric Fiori
    Worcester County Commissioner
  • Seal of Worcester County, Maryland
    Diana Purnell
    Worcester County Commissioner
  • Seal of Maryland
    Senator Mary Beth Carozza
    Maryland State Senate
  • Seal of Maryland
    Delegate Sheree Sample‐Hughes
    Speaker Pro Tem MD House of Delegates
  • Seal of Maryland
    Delegate Charles Otto
    Maryland House of Delegates
  • Seal of Maryland
    Delegate Barry Beauchamp
    Maryland House of Delegates
  • Seal of Maryland
    Delegate Wayne Hartman
    Maryland House of Delegates
  • Seal of City of Crisfield
    Councilwoman Laverne Johnson
    Crisfield City Council
  • Town of Snow Hill Logo
    Diana Walsh
    Town of Snow Hill
  • Seal of Town of Sharptown, Maryland
    Commissioner Matthew Schneider
    Town of Sharptown

CEDS Committee Timeline

2024-2025 Report

July
June
2024
2025
October
Initial Meeting

Tri‐County Council will facilitate the first of two CEDS meeting to review the CEDS Goals/ County‐specific projects/Progress indicators.

November - January
Initial Review

Tri‐County Council will interpret and update statistical hard data and revise Goals/County‐specific Projects/Progress indicators based on input from CEDS Committee and County Directors of Economic Development.

January
Second Meeting

Tri‐County Council will facilitate the second of two CEDS Committee meetings for evaluation, review and final vote on revisions proposed at first CEDS Committee meeting.

March
Final Revision

Tri‐County Council will execute final revisions and graphic layout and website based on input from the second of two CEDS Committee meetings.

March
Ratification

Executive Director will present the final revised CEDS projects to the Tri‐County Council full board at quarterly meeting and request ratification.

April
Submission

Tri‐County Council will submit final revised CEDS to EDA via Grants Online Government Portal, update LESMD.net, and update the Tri‐County Council Administrative website with new document.

  • Partnerships make it possible

    Federal, State, and Local stakeholders work collectively to shape the economic prosperity of Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore.

  • CEDS Funding Assistance
    eda_logo_white.gif
    U.S. Department of Commerce
    Economic Development Administration
    md-doc.jpg
    State of Maryland
    Department of Commerce
  • Funding for the Delmarva Index and the LESMD.net Regional Economic Development website
    RMPIF_logo.png
    Rural Maryland Council
    Rural Maryland Prosperity Fund
  • Institutional Knowledge, Data, and Resources
    Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland Logo
    Private Sector Companies
    Utilities, Transportation, Agriculture and Manufacturing Sectors
    Lower Shore Workforce Alliance Logo
    Lower Shore Workforce Alliance
    a division of the Tri-County Council
    Shore Transit Logo
    Shore Transit
    a division of the Tri-County Council
    Town of Ocean City, MD Seal
    Roland E. Powell Convention Center
    Atlantic General Health System Logo
    Atlantic General Healthcare System
    TidalHealth Logo
    TidalHealth
    Maryland Department of Natural Resources Logo
    Maryland Department of Natural Resources
    Maryland Department of Commerce Logo
    Maryland Department of Commerce
    Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport Logo
    Salisbury-Wicomico Regional Airport
    Nasa Wallops Flight Facility Insignia
    Wallops Flight Facility
    (NASA)
    Seal of Somerset County Maryland
    Somerset County Sanitary District
    City of Salisbury Seal
    City of Salisbury
  • Economic Development & Tourism
    Salisbury Wicomico Economic Development Logo
    Salisbury-Wicomico Economic Development
    Wicomico County Recreation & Parks Logo
    Wicomico County Recreation, Parks & Tourism
    Somerset County Economic Development Logo
    Somerset County Economic Development
    Somerset County Recreation, Parks, & Tourism
    Somerset County Recreation, Parks & Tourism
    Maryland's Coast Worcester County Economic Development and Tourism
    Worcester County Tourism & Economic Development
  • Chambers of Commerce
    Pocomoke Area Chamber of Commerce Logo
    Pocomoke Area Chamber of Commerce
    Snow Hill Chamber of Commerce Logo
    Snow Hill Area Chamber of Commerce
    Berlin Maryland Chamber of Commerce logo
    Berlin Chamber of Commerce
    Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce
    Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce
    Crisfield Chamber of Commerce Logo
    Crisfield Chamber of Commerce
    Princess Anne Chamber of Commerce
    Princess Anne Chamber of Commerce
    Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Logo
    Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce
    Greater Salisbury Committee Logo
    Greater Salisbury Committee
  • Educational Institutions
    Wor Wic Community College Logo
    Wor-Wic Community College
    University of Maryland Eastern Shore Logo
    University of Maryland Eastern Shore
    Salisbury University Logo
    Salisbury University
    Somerset County Technical High School Logo
    Somerset County Technical High School
    Worcester Tech Logo
    Worcester Technical High School
    Parkside CTE Logo
    Parkside Career and Technical High School