From your lips to President Obama's ears. Mayor Byron W. Brown's local forum on
jobs and the economy is set to go tomorrow, Wednesday, December 9th from 4:00 to 6:30PM, at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. The l
Participation is free, but prior
registration is required. Anyone wishing to participate can register online here, fax an RSVP to 716.851-5052, or call 3-1-1. Questions about the forum can also be addressed by calling 3-1-1.
"This is an excellent opportunity for a
broad range of stakeholders to come together in a unified setting and discuss
ways for the President and our country to do what's the single most important
action that can move our economy forward and keep it strong - create good,
lasting jobs for our citizens," said Mayor Brown.
The following three questions will be
posed to all of the forum participants:
1. What's
working in Buffalo-Niagara region that might be useful to other places across
the nation?
2. What
specific barriers are stopping more growth; what could the White House do right
now to help overcome them and grow more of what's working?
3. What other issues and ideas should the President consider?
Forum participants will not be asked to
represent a designated group. For instance, just because someone is from a
business doesn't mean they'll be asked to speak on behalf of all businesses in
the region. They're not expected to represent all workers, all
economists, all job seekers, etc. More importantly, the forum wants
participants to speak on behalf of themselves and their own personal
experience. In turn, it's requested that they listen to the personal
experience of others at the forum.
After checking in, the participants,
based on how they designate their background (e.g., business owner/management;
labor rep/union member; financial industry; economic development;
academic/researcher/policy; non-profit advocate; citizen) will be directed to
pre-determined tables for the various groups established for the forum
discussion.
After each table discusses the three
forum questions, the forum organizers will place the answers and ideas
into a format the White House can read, understand and act on. The answers will
be summarized into the most actionable, most important perspectives from
Buffalo and our region--table by table.
Each table will have a volunteer moderator who will help the group come to quick agreement about the most important answers from the question's discussion. The moderators will act as "recorders" as the group comes to agreement on the top 5 most unique things that they agree need to go to Washington. Not all the people at the table have to agree on every one of the 5, but these will be considered unique perspectives that will be forwarded to Washington for the Obama Administration's consideration.
speaking of the mayor, be sure to give this article a gander:
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/885547.html?imw=Y
Just like a slitting a wrist ..
So basically, the City's economic development agency gave a grant to a restaurant that didn't generate much, if any, new business or any new jobs, so no real return on investment. In my professional opinion, there should've been some performance guarantees and clawbacks if the business failed to deliver. The article didn't say how much, if any, of the owners own money was invested. Incentives are suppose to entice businesses to invest money and create jobs, generating new payroll dollars, sales tax revenue, and property tax revenue. My guess is that the business is now suffering from the burden of higher property taxes after reassessment. It sounds like the grant probably had the opposite effect and ended up creating an economic hardship for the business through higher property taxes.
Clawbacks would be next to impossibile to enforce when businesses close down, which happens often. Also it could be very subjective to devise performace guarantee conditions for these kinds of businesses and enforce them fairly and usefully. It's difficult to do either of those even for more established corporations.
I'd go a few steps further and say the city should just end BERC and stop using loans and grants to choose winners among businesses, industries (restaurant, hair care, retail, etc.), and streets (Jefferson, Seneca). It would help the city's poor residents more effectively to instead use that money for basic city services that impact quality of life and for non-traditional education programs like for adult literacy and GEDs to make more people employable.
That change won't happen, of course. City politicians seem to love the current system even if they agrue about which businesses and streets should get BERC money.
Just shifting customers and jobs around from one restaurant, barber, or coffee house to another isn't real economic growth.
We can agree to disagree on if the city should be providing assitance to local entrepreneurs to revive commercial districts and create jobs.
I do like your idea of dedicating funds for adult education to combat poverty. How can somebody get a job, or start a business if they dont have basic skills?
Maybe a more effective anti-poverty plan would include less seed money for new businesses and more towards adult education.
Geez, I would I was the only one getting re-assessed every 2-3 years? Just got a letter in the mail this week. Anyone else in North Buff as lucky?
ditto here on Norwalk
Nothing here (yet) but Im about 27k over already according to an appraiser. I plan on going to city hall this month to challenge my assesment. Anybody out there done this before?
Yea, basically just run a bunch of comps from recent home sales in your area, print out listings of current listings, etc. You go into a room with about 5 incompetent stiffs, they will have a picture of your house on a projector and ask you why you feel your assessment should be altered. You state your case, then they tell you that you will receive a notice in the mail regarding the results of your challenge. It should always be challenged every time, by everyone. I challenged mine a few years back, he reduced it down a bit, split the difference, bit I wouldn't expect them to knock of 27k. Its worth a shot though. Our recent re-assessment was only a 5k increase, but we plan to challenge it on principal.
It's easy poodle, tell your landlord to handle it.
You shouldn't expect government to be run like a business. We all know how bad that is for the area. We shouldn't expect accountability for employees and grantees, that is not what government should do. Government should just hand out the money based on good intentions and hope that the business succeeds. That is what a good democratic government will do for the people. Free money for everyone who needs it.
"Free money for everyone who needs it."
I wonder if that's sho'nuff being sarcastic, or maybe it's Heather being serious after accidently using his login again?
No, I was being sarcastic.
Here's another from the other day:
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/884198.html
City BERC paid more into cosmetic improvements to a barbershop and, from what it appears, the adjoining residence, than they paid into the entire west side...