ROME, N.Y. (WKTV) - The Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council has two more weeks to fine-tune it's strategic plan for the area. Tuesday night, a draft of that plan was presented to community members at the Griffiss Institute in Rome.

The council is made up of business and community leaders, who are coming up with a plan of where the six county region sees itself in five years and how it will get there. The plan will include a regional vision for economic development, address critical issues and opportunities, and lay out a vision for future growth.

It's a competition between nine councils from around New York State. The top four regions will win $200,000 dollars in grant money for their area. As part of the initiative, up to $1 Billion in state resources will be accessible to eligible projects.

"The competition is, I think, one of the points of inspiration to propel regions to come together, regions that might not have worked as closely together as they have in the past," said Council member Dr. Randall VanWagoner, President of MVCC. "I think the competition creates the incentive to get the work done and do it well."

The final draft of the plan is due November 14th. The winning region will be chosen sometime in December.

There are two more forums happening this week.

Wednesday night at the Johnstown Senior Citizen Center in Johnstown and Thursday night in the library at Cobleskill/Richmondville Central School in Cobleskill. Both sessions go from 6:30pm to 8pm.

The six counties included in the Mohawk Valley Region include Herkimer, Oneida, Otsego, Schoharie, Montgomery and Fulton.