A New Paradigm

Economic Development:  A hot topic to be sure.  Ask any City Councilor, any IDA or LDC member, or the like, and they'll tell you it's one side of the critical equation that will decide Geneva's future.  We've got to grow our economy, or we can hang it up as a community.

Two challenges:  What is it? and How do we do it?  Chances are, if you ask all the people I just mentioned (25+), you'll get a dozen or better answers.  Things like:

• Job creation
• Property tax relief
• Boosting sales tax revenue
• Attracting new residents
• More/different businesses

The list goes on and on...The truth is, it's all of those things; and all of the things that contribute to those things...and while we're at it, the things that contribute to...well, you get the point.

Defining Economic Development is much easier than talking about the how.  In previous iterations, the City's Economic Development Office was consolidated with code enforcement officers, planners, grant administrators, and virtually every community development function you could think of.  The Director was forced, in any given day, to deal with an irate landlord who just failed their rental inspection, attend a water quality discussion, review leases for incubator tenants, and process payroll for 7 or 8 staffers.  Doesn't leave much time for business recruitment or retention does it?

The year after we split Economic Development into its own office, and removed the shackles of Code Enforcement and Home Ownership programs, the City spent nearly $200,000 in direct funds on the ED office and partner agencies.  That's not inclusive of the money spent by the Revolving Loan Fund, IDA, Tech Farm, Ontario County, and other partners.

That same year, the City held a summit of over 20 partner agencies.  The group identified dozens of tasks to move the City forward toward a unified economic development vision.  A year later, partners wait in the wings for direction.  Admittedly we have done little to harness the power of these critical and willing agencies.

This week, the City Council will hear representatives from Camoin Associates deliver an analysis of the Geneva market, and an assessment of our Economic Development vision, and our ability to reach our potential.   You can read the proposed strategy here. 

The short version is this:

1.  Council got the vision right.  Everything we want will drive the market, and is well within our grasp.
2.  It is completely unachievable if "the City" is the lead agency on all aspects.  We must harness the horsepower of our community partners to realize our vision.

Look for strategies on how to accomplish this in October.

Partnerships Can Stretch Dollars

Public-Private Partnerships come in all shapes and sizes.  Prior to my appointment in Geneva, I worked for a firm that managed the largest single partnership effort in municipal history.  The local government partnered with a large firm to provide all municipal services, with the exception of fire and police.  Here in Geneva, that may seem like a stretch.  However, little ole' Geneva has been partnering for years.

The vast majority of Geneva's IT services are delivered through such a partnership.  In fact, the City only employs a single person to help with computer equipment.  The rest, including website development, server maintenance, our public WiFi network, and a host of other computer related services are provided through a partnership with a private company.  Our neighborhood efforts are also bolstered by such parterships, as are the Comptroller and City Clerk's offices.  We estimate several hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs each year have been saved through this method.

Partnerships go two ways.  Forget about large corporations for a second.  The City also benefits from partnerships with some groups that may be familiar to you.  Groups like the Geneva Historical Society, Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce, Geneva Boys and Girls Club, and the Humane Society all deliver services in our great City.  In exchage, we provide public investments to assist in their efforts.

Think of as many City services as you can.  Then ask, "could we do that a different way?" and "Could a local not-for-profit benefit?"  Today, the City released a Request for Proposals for Not for Profit groups.  If you're affiliated with any group that could help (and be helped), please direct them to the City website.