SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
July 11, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 7/15/08
Salvos arrives a bit early this week, as I travel to the National Association of Counties (NACo) Convention in Jackson County, Missouri (home to Kansas City). Previous NACo conferences have been quite informative; I look forward to sharing what I learn!
It is Beef Days this weekend (July 18 & 19) in Solon. Beef Days remains the Godfather of all small-town “days”. See you there for a steak and a beverage or two!
Don’t forget the Johnson County Fair July 21-24. I am very proud of Johnson County’s Fair; in addition to being FREE, it is fun and informative for the whole family.
So many county fairs have sold their souls to lure in aging rock stars… then they also get all the associated problems. I am glad the focus here remains on the local Ag community.
Last week, I asked if the term “hero” was overused. The verdict is in from Salvos readers – you overwhelmingly felt that heroism was widespread during the floods. I particularly liked this take, from a reader who shall remain nameless:
“We as a society shouldn't reserve the distinction of hero only for people connected with war. True, we should be careful when conferring such status on celebrities and athletes, but we've already got too much war thrown at us every day.
Someone who inspires others to do good things or better their life or be a better parent or whatever, can and should be recognized, even if it comes only from the person who found some hope and inspiration from their hero's triumphs.”
One of my fellow Supervisors and I have been asked recently what Johnson County does to promote economic development. I am glad we were asked! The week prior to the County Fair seems like an appropriate time to address this topic.
Johnson County is urban in the eyes of many, but we still have a vital agricultural economy. Johnson County has 1261 farms, covering approximately 300,000 acres of land. That is 75% of the surface area of the county. (The land in the average county in Iowa is 89% farms.)
As a matter of fact, after applying multipliers, ag makes up a $408 million slice of the Johnson County economy. Ag related industries amount to over 3,000 jobs, more than Pearson’s and ACT combined. This accounts for about 11% of all jobs in Johnson County. In addition, ag assessments add up to 4% of the property tax in Johnson County. (Source for all statistics cited above: Gene Mohling, ISU Extension.) Though we are more urban than most of Iowa, agriculture matters in Johnson County!
Johnson County supports agriculture in many overt ways, but some of the support is less obvious. The biggest example of this support is our investment in rural roads and bridges.
In addition, Johnson County supports several zoned economic development areas. These areas are home to several thriving businesses. Johnson County also has hundreds of home-based businesses, several of which have grown to the point that County staff people have encouraged these businesses to move into our cities. Johnson County also dedicates $45,000 annually to the Iowa City Area Development Group (ICAD). That compares quite favorably to our cities, as the total amount of public money ICAD gets annually is $250,000. Plus, each city stands to benefit more than Johnson County due to our own adopted policies.
Every bit as important as what we DO are the things we DO NOT do. I cannot emphasize this enough!
First, Johnson County purposely chooses not to compete with our cities for projects. We are frequently asked to do commercial and industrial developments, virtually every one of which is dutifully directed towards our cities. Our Land Use Plan calls for most commercial and industrial development to be directed toward cities – as it should. Since I have been on the Board, we have followed that plan.
Secondly, Johnson County rarely gives away tax dollars to private interests. The biggest help any political subdivision can offer to business is providing good services. Good roads, fire and police protection, and other public accommodations are what municipalities SHOULD do, and that is where Johnson County focuses its efforts.
I think Johnson County is doing the right things in terms of economic development, though I would like to see us put more energy and resources into 4 different areas:
1. Encouraging entrepreneurs. I have always felt that too many resources were placed into recruiting multi-national corporations that have no connection (nor loyalty) to the community, and simply hunt down the best deals. By nurturing entrepreneurs, we increase the odds that businesses they develop will stay in Johnson County.
2. Developing the local food network. Locally grown food makes sense from economic, health, national security, and other perspectives. Johnson County can and should do more to promote this.
3. Johnson County needs to “sell” our cities on the role of County government. Far too many city leaders forget that County government serves the citizens of their cities. The County should be at the table when the cities are making plans.
4. We need to investigate the best practices in economic development. None of this is new. We need to learn what works in other places, and copy the best ideas.
So… what do you think of Johnson County’s economic development activities? Are we doing the right things? What should we be doing differently? I am curious as to your thoughts!
DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County SEATS spent $61,000 on fuel in FY04; that amount was $151,000 in FY08. (Miles traveled rose considerably, along with gas prices – obviously!)
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
www.johnson-county.com.
"Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 11:52 AM
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