i9 Investigation: Would you move somewhere if the town paid you? Three Iowa towns are betting on it — but is it working?

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Would you move somewhere if the town paid you?

That’s the idea behind the Collaborative Growth Initiative with the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance that uses taxpayer money to attract new residents to the area.

A stagnant population, a costly solution

Iowa’s stagnant population is a problem for the economy. Businesses need workers to grow. That’s why the Economic Alliance launched the program in 2025 paying people with higher-paying jobs to move to the area.

A year later, leaders said it’s working — but the measure of success is hard to define.

A homecoming, with a check attached

Last August, Hunter Baldus moved his family from Colorado to Cedar Rapids.

“I thought it was too good to be true,” Baldus said.

He grew up in Cedar Rapids, so the move meant being closer to family. But a $5,000 check from the city made the decision easier.

“Maybe not the main draw, but it definitely — like I said — definitely helped that decision,” Baldus said. “So I would say family is probably the biggest decision there.”

Baldus was the first person paid to move to Cedar Rapids through the Collaborative Growth Initiative.

Amy Aossey is another recipient. She shared a similar story on the Make My Move website, which ran the campaign.

A Cedar Rapids native, Aossey moved back after 27 years in Phoenix to be closer to her parents. She said the incentive “played a meaningful role in making it possible.”

In its first year, the program paid 15 grants for people to move their families to the area. Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell, a big backer of the initiative, said that’s a small but meaningful boost to the area’s stagnant population.

“I believe we had a real proof of concept in getting nearly 15 people, plus their families, to come here,” O’Donnell said.

How Cedar Rapids compares nationally

Cedar Rapids is one of dozens — if not hundreds — of cities offering incentives through Make My Move.

Cumberland, Maryland offers up to $20,000. Tulsa, Oklahoma, which offers $10,000 grants, had 70 families move in its first year and now has 3,500 families in the program.

With just 15 families so far, Cedar Rapids leaders remain optimistic.

“The cities made multi-year commitments, understanding that it’s very difficult to see, you know, complete success in one year,” O’Donnell said.

That’s why the effort is expanding to what the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance calls “Phase 2.0.”

What Phase 2.0 looks like — and what’s still unknown

Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance President Juliet Abdel described Phase 2.0 as the next step in talent attraction.

“That’s to fill the direct roles that are open with our area employers,” Abdel said.

The exact details are sparse.

But Abdel described it as a public-private partnership — using taxpayer dollars to help area businesses offer incentives to prospective employees. The Economic Alliance has not detailed how much the program will cost or which businesses have signed up.

“The list that is yet to be released as we continue to garner the interest of — ‘Yes, I’m an employer, yes, I have hard-to-fill roles, yes, I’m willing to or already do offer an incentive,’” Abdel said.

Mayor O’Donnell said three companies are already part of the program: Collins Aerospace, UFG, and True North.

TV9 asked the mayor if this program is subsidizing recruiting for companies that can already afford it.

“Yeah, I mean, I think what’s really important is the larger companies will always find a way,” O’Donnell said. “Initiatives like this are there for them as well as for the small to mid-sized businesses that likely don’t have the recruiting budget that those large companies have.”

Will people actually stay?

Another question is whether the program is sustainable.

Evan Starr, an associate professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Business, is researching how cities compete for workers.

“You don’t want people only coming to your area for the money,” Starr said. “They might come and just take the incentives, and then as soon as any restrictions are up, like staying for a year, for example, then they might leave.”

Cedar Rapids said all 30 people who moved so far are still here — but the program only requires one year of residency. Tulsa boasts that 75% of its recipients are still there six years into its incentive program.

“The role of the municipalities and localities is to integrate those individuals into the community, such that they find value there,” Starr said.

So, is Cedar Rapids’ program working?

It’s too early to know for sure, and no one was able to give us a specific goal for success. But Mayor O’Donnell said it’s worth the investment to try to grow the area’s population.

“It needs to be better than 1% growth year over year, which is what we’ve seen in the past,” O’Donnell said. “It’s a tall order. You have to start somewhere.”

Who’s paying for it?

As we mentioned — you, the taxpayers, are paying for some of it.

The cities of Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha have spent nearly $600,000 on the program so far. The Metro Economic Alliance said businesses will sign on to fund the rest — but has declined to say how much businesses will invest or exactly what that money will pay for.