Mayor Newberry's visionary Lexington First scholarship plan did not impart much economic sight to the 14 council members who voted against it, but it loosened their tongues and inspired a long overdue debate about council's role in economic development and job creation. If you haven't heard, your LFUCG Council is now an economic development task force. That's good. They even voted themselves some task force funds so they can hire speakers, take trips, etc. I'm okay with that, too. But now that LFUCG Council is a funded, economic development task force, there's something else I want them to do. I want them to start a citywide conversation about why economic development and job creation are crucial to the city's future and the solution to our city's revenue shortfall.
I'm doing my part to get Lexington talking about job creation and economic development. I've been conducting an admittedly unscientific man-on-the-street poll to see if Lexingtonians know how their city's government is funded and if they know what percentage of city government's operating revenues come from payroll taxes. So far, I've only polled one person who knew most of the city's tax revenues come from payroll taxes - and he was surprised to learn that about 83 percent of Lexington's income is from payroll taxes.
In other words, all but one of the Lexingtonians I polled didn't understand Lexington's "business model" until I explained it to them. Most of the people I polled said "property taxes" are Lexington's major source of income.
If taxpayers can't understand the city's business model, they can't make informed decisions about how mayoral proposals will impact the city's top and bottom lines, and whether or not a mayoral idea is good for the city. If Lexingtonians don't know how Lexington makes its money, they won't support Mayor Newberry's "outside the box" economic development ideas.
Lexingtonians who don't understand the city's "business model" wouldn't know, for instance, that a plan to increase the number of Lexington science, technology, engineering and math degrees is really an employer seduction plan that would attract new employers and raise Lexington's top line income without raising taxes on anybody. Members of council who simply voted against the Mayor's Lexington First plan without explaining that it was an employer seduction initiative missed an opportunity to explain to their constituents that employers are increasingly relocating to cities with high concentrations of technical brains, and why attracting more high-paying tech jobs to Lexington is absolutely critical to Lexington's future.
It's time LFUCG Council members start greeting constituents with some economic development conversation starters. Here's one: "Hi, I'm Councilwoman Linda Gorton. Did you know that Lexington doesn't have an economic development plan?" She said it at the June 10 council meeting, and she should say it to everyone she meets until it's no longer true.
You know those bumper stickers that say, "Ask me about my grandbaby?" Maybe council members should have bumper stickers that say "Ask me about my economic development plan."
Here's another: "Hi, I'm Councilman George Myers. Did you know the city of Austin, Texas, employs 47 economic development staffers?"
Councilwoman Andrea James could add, "Did you know the city of Lexington only employs one economic development staffer?"
Here's a conversation starter for Councilman Kevin Stinnett: "Do you know how many jobs Lexington got for the $660,000 we gave Commerce Lexington last year?"
That's right, LFUCG tried to outsource job creation. Ask your council member how that worked out.
And since Councilman Jay McChord got "pushback" from parents who didn't understand why Mayor Newberry's Lexington First plan wouldn't have provided scholarships to English majors, communications majors and psychology majors, here's a conversation starter for him: "Hi, I'm Councilman Jay McChord. Can you tell me how many employers have refused to build a plant in Lexington because we didn't have enough English majors?"
Here's one Councilman Dick DeCamp can use when he meets UK students in his district: "So, do you plan to leave Lexington after graduation, or do you plan to bus tables down at CentrePointe?"
Here's one any council member can say: "Did you know that if Lexington learns how to create jobs like they do in Austin, we can increase Lexington's operating revenues without raising your taxes?"
In fact, I'm calling upon Mayor Newberry, the Mayor's staff and LFUCG Council members to greet everybody they meet with either a statement or a question about Lexington's business model.
If economic development is as important to Lexington's elected leaders as it is to the future of this city, they'll promote it with the same single-minded focus that got them elected in the first place.
Joseph Higginbotham can be reached by e-mail at JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.