[Vision2020] City Budget Hearings

[cynthia nichols]

BJ,

I fully agree with your position. These are NOT boom times and if  
businesses are tightening their belts, I don't care HOW good an  
economic development person is, he/she is not going to get high paying  
jobs into Moscow.  You are also right about the impact on Moscow's  
budget too. Why can't the URA fully fund the person if they want him/ 
her?

I also agree that the URA should NOT be allowed to purchase land.

You really know what you're talking about--will the city council be  
smart and listen?

cynthia nichols


On Aug 2, 2008, at 10:56 PM, B. J. Swanson wrote:

> Linda,
>
> It’s good to hear from you.  However, I must respectfully disagree  
> with you on this one.  Economic times during 2007 looked much better  
> than now.  In addition, in view of the City’s very poor record on  
> project development, cost overruns, etc., the City should save  
> taxpayer money and let others do the economic development.  The City  
> of Moscow does not understand that “Time is Money.”  There is not  
> the efficiency that is found in the private sector and I doubt  
> hiring an economic development director will do anything to improve  
> that.  Another great example of ‘inefficiency’ is the process the  
> URA goes through to sell lots in Alturas Technology Park.  It is no  
> wonder that they can’t even sell the lots at less than undeveloped  
> prices because no business wants to go through the convoluted  
> process.  The URA should definitely NOT buy land for resale with  
> your taxpayer dollars.  An economic development director is not  
> going to fix this.
>
> Pullman and Lewiston do not have economic development directors.   
> One might work in Eugene Oregon, but Eugene has a population of  
> 155,000, seven times larger than Moscow.  If you subtract the number  
> of students out of each city, Eugene is 11 times larger than  
> Moscow.  An $86,000 economic development position in Eugene will not  
> have nearly the impact on their city budget as it will on Moscow’s  
> budget.
>
> I was mostly concerned about the URA Budget this year.  However, the  
> more I look into it, the more concerns I have about the general  
> Moscow City Budget too.  For example, the Lewiston City Budget is  
> less than Moscow’s.  Lewiston has a population of 31,794 compared to  
> Moscow’s of 23,233.  Lewiston’s 2009 proposed budget is $52,656,080  
> compared to Moscow’s $55,500,000.  Moscow’s proposed budget is  
> $2,843,920 more than Lewiston’s, even though Lewiston has 8,571 more  
> people.  If you subtract students, Lewiston has 15,600 more people.   
> Lewiston’s City area is 10 square miles larger than Moscow’s (16.5  
> sq. miles versus 6.15 sq. miles).  Why is Moscow’s budget more than  
> Lewiston’s?  In addition, Lewiston is proposing to reduce their  
> budget by $735,140 this year.  Moscow should do the same.
>
> Moscow could take lessons from Lewiston regarding easy to understand  
> City government.  Check out their Citizen’s Guide to the City Budget:
>
>                                 http://www.cityoflewiston.org/budget0607/budget0607.htm
>
> Now try to find the proposed Moscow City Budget online.
>
> This is not the time to increase City government at taxpayer  
> expense.  Instead of up-staffing, increasing administration expense  
> and asking for the maximum amount of taxes allowed by law, perhaps  
> the Mayor and City Council should look at reducing the budget and  
> focus on being efficient.  This is not the time to be Empire Building.
>
> B. J. Swanson
>
>
>
> From: Linda Pall [mailto:lpall at moscow.com]
> Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2008 2:13 PM
> To: B. J. Swanson; vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] City Budget Hearings
>
> Dear BJ and Visionaries,
>
> BJ, I respect your opinion and your service to the City over many  
> years in the area of economic development. Without your support on  
> the State Department of Commerce Community Development Committee, we  
> would not have gained the needed funds for projects at the 1912  
> Center, among others.
>
> However, I must disagree with your recommendation concerning the  
> Fiscal Year 2009 budget and encourage Visionaries to SUPPORT the  
> addition of a CIty of Moscow Economic Development Director.
>
> Here is part of a Budget Session Memorandum, dated July 16, 2007,  
> that I distributed to the Mayor and Council last summer. The  
> services of an in-house economic development coordinator,  shared by  
> the URA, make even more sense now. Note that this addresses a big  
> problem with the way economic development is managed by the  
> governmental partner: lack of coordination and consistent follow- 
> through. This is part of recognizing the defined roles of the  
> Chamber, LEDA and regional project-oriented organizations like CEDA  
> and retaining appropriate financial support for those groups. These  
> groups do not address the need for public/private partnerships  
> throughout the City over the long haul to coordinate a long-term,  
> consistent community vision for economic development. This vision  
> must incorporate policies that increase local wealth, building on  
> what we have first and reaching out to capital intensive development  
> that enhances job creation.
>
> The Chamber's role is primarily marketing of the existing business  
> community. LEDC is county-wide and regional, with the very important  
> focus of the Knowledge Corridor in cooperation with UI, WSU and  
> Pullman. The City of Moscow has no coordination for downtown  
> development and revitalization, commercial development on the edges  
> of the CIty, business development incentives, and a sense of how to  
> follow through with the goals of economic development identified in  
> our comprehensive plan revision. Many other communitites have  
> successfully employed talented people in positions like this to make  
> sure the community maintains a hold on its future direction. They  
> have paid for themselves many times over.
>
> "Goal for an In-House Economic Development Director.
>
> The goal of such a director is the development of new jobs for  
> Moscow, to enhance the existing business community and expand and  
> improve business opportunities throughout the City.
>
> There is constant pressure in and out of Moscow for growth and  
> development. It is clear that if the City does not take a strong,  
> positive stand for ‘right-sized growth’ that we will not be able to  
> shape our future. We need more and better jobs, in the private  
> sector as well as in higher education. We have a wonderful  
> opportunity to coordinate with LEDC and CEDA to assist at a regional  
> level. However, if we do not have local in-house follow through, we  
> are not working intentionally to create the kind of economic future  
> we want and need for our citizens.
>
> The models exist in many other communities across the northwest,  
> with excellent results for those communities. Eugene, Oregon,  
> another university community, has benefited greatly from having such  
> in-house expertise over the years and is a model to review as we  
> determine the proper job description here.
>
> Now is the time to begin this process because of the Urban Renewal  
> Agency efforts adjacent to downtown Moscow and because of the impact  
> this area can have on the university and the community at large. A  
> partnership with the URA is an obvious choice because our city  
> supervisor’s time and talents are already stretched to their limits."
>
>     from Memorandum to City Council, July 16, 2007 by Linda Pall,  
> City Council Member through January, 2008.
>
> Please support the inclusion of this position in BOTH the city  
> economic development director in the city budget and the URA staff  
> proposal. Providing an Advisory Committee to work with the Director,  
> composed of representatives from LEDC, CEDA, the Chamber, and other  
> stake holders to help the City Council develop policy for economic  
> expansion could answer many of the concerns we citizens have about  
> Council decisions concerning economic development such as the one to  
> advance the competition to Moscow businesses by provision of water  
> across the stateline.
>
> All the best,
>
>
>
> Linda Pall
>
> Former Moscow City Council Member
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: B. J. Swanson
> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2008 8:11 AM
> Subject: [Vision2020] City Budget Hearings
>
> Please mark your calendars and attend two City budget hearings this  
> week:
>
> ·         Monday, Aug. 4, 7:00 PM, City Council Chambers:  Moscow  
> City Budget Hearing
>
> ·         Thursday, Aug. 7, 7:00 AM, City Council Chambers:  Urban  
> Renewal Agency Budget Hearing
>
> I am opposed to the continuing expansion of City government as  
> demonstrated by the $55 million budget.  According to The Daily  
> News, the City budget five years ago was $35 million.  That is a  
> 9.5% annual growth rate.  I doubt your income or budget have  
> expanded at that high rate.  The budget includes three new  
> positions.  The proposed City Economic Development Director at a  
> cost of $86,000 is certainly redundant considering we already have  
> the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, Latah Economic Development Council,  
> Clearwater Economic Development Association and many local  
> realtors.  In the difficult economy we are experiencing now, this is  
> not a good time to up-staff and expand City government.
>
> The Urban Renewal Agency wants to increase administration to $30,000  
> and to fund one-half of the $86,000 economic development director’s  
> position.  The URA wants to fund this expansion by using taxes from  
> the Alturas Urban Renewal District.  They also want Alturas to loan  
> money to fund administration of the Legacy Crossing Urban Renewal  
> District.  Please tell the URA not to do this.  Instead of up- 
> staffing, increasing administration and loaning funds to Legacy  
> crossing, that money could be preserved to close out the Alturas  
> Urban Renewal Taxing District within two years and return the  
> approximately $300,000 annual tax revenue to lower the property tax  
> bills of all property owners in Moscow and Latah County.  If the URA  
> continues to use Alturas funds for Legacy Crossing, increasing  
> administration, etc., there will be no benefit to the property  
> taxpayers until 2016, if then.  The Urban Renewal Agency has not  
> demonstrated prudent financial management of previous projects  
> including 200+% cost overruns on completing Alturas Phase II and  
> purchasing undeveloped land at developed prices.   As another  
> example, at the July 24 URA meeting, Pat Raffee, the URA consultant  
> said Beebe & Germer offered to sell the URA four acres in the Legacy  
> Crossing District for $20 million.  She said that was too high but  
> suggested the URA buy an option on it.   These examples do not give  
> me confidence in the URA’s management of our tax dollars.
>
> I am not opposed to Legacy Crossing if it is properly managed.  It  
> is highly unlikely in these economic times that Legacy Crossing will  
> be developed at all in the near future.  Forcing some kind of  
> development before its time will only result in failure. URA  
> consultant Pat Raffee estimated the first project might be 2½  years  
> away.  Again, now is not the time to up-staff and add administration  
> at the expense of property taxpayers.
>
> The URA budget hearing is at 7:00 AM on Thursday, Aug 7.  The URA  
> Commissioners say they want public input on the budget, but the 7:00  
> AM meetings are not well attended.  If you have an opinion on the  
> budget, please do attend the hearing or contact one of the URA  
> Commissioners:
>
> John McCabe,  john.p.mccabe at wellsfargo.com
> John Weber, jweber at ci.moscow.id.us
> Brandy Sullivan, brando at moscow.com
> Robin Woods, rwoods at alturasanalytics.com
> Stephen Drown, srdrown at uidaho.edu
> Jack Nelson, jnelson at latah.id.us
> Tom Lamar, lamar at pcei.org
>
> These are very uncertain economic times.  With oil prices at record  
> highs and resulting high food prices, layoffs, etc., citizens are  
> tightening their budgets, the City and the URA should do the same.   
> Please tell them this is not the time to increase staff and  
> administration at taxpayer expense.
>
> B. J. Swanson
>
> =======================================================
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> =======================================================

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20080804/f92f5e20/attachment-0001.html