Tennessee’s Three-Star Communities
I know that I have talked about this before, but it is well worth repeating. This is mostly for hard core economic developers but it’s an interesting program for all to consider.
One of the biggest problems facing New Brunswick communities when it comes to economic development is that they are not properly resourced, they don’t know what’s involved and they don’t allocate any serious funding towards economic development. There are regional economic development commissions that do good work but at the local community level – where the rubber hits the road – there is almost no direct effort to stimulate economic development (except in the largest communities).
Tennessee’s Three-Star Communities program literally provides a checklist of things a community must do to be ‘ready’ for new business investment. If the community meets that rather long checklist, they become certified Three-Star communities.
Wow, what a difference between this approach and New Brunswick’s.
Imagine if Sackville, Sussex, Minto, Harvey, etc. were all taking deliberate steps (calibrated, of course, to the size of their communities) to advance economic development.
Well, how about if WE start a program like that? We can copy from their literature, perhaps modify it a bit, start a website, and send the information to the various communities asking if they are “Three Star ” ready? We could even start it as some kind of organization, then send out press releases, etc.
None of us has a LOT of time, but we all have SOME time and that’s a worthwhile project. My suspicion is that most communities simply don’t have the money, but it depends what the ‘star’ criteria are (I haven’t read it). I’d call it ‘five lobster’, but thats just me. At the very least it would give publicity to the many economic development challenges communities are facing that they can’t deal with. Municipalities in Canada have very very few resources, they can’t even offer bonds, as is common in the states. The US has FAR more power at the local level, in Canada they always have been pawns of the province-that’s something else that can be looked at.
The other incentive is it actually might shame the government into doing something. Governments are far more likely to follow ideas than create them nowadays. I know Lord created Enterprise Fundy and all those ‘local’ business groups, but they are of little use without decent funding or power. Those who work for those organizations aren’t going to rock the boat much, their jobs are on the line-ours aren’t.
Any takers out there, or are we just talkers?:)