TDC IDEA - An Affiliate of the State Data Center The official website of The Development Corp.'s Institute for Development and Economic Analysis Facts and Figures Relevant to Economic Development in Northern, NY

Planning for Our Economic Future

by Colin Read, July 21, 2010

Clinton County has experienced an illustrious economic past, and is currently enjoying a vibrant industrial present. However, while our economic past has followed a serendipitous path, and the present has benefited from the efforts and planning of The Development Corporation (TDC) and others, our future will require a much more concerted and coordinated effort.

The Institute for Development and Economic Analysis (IDEA) is spearheading one such effort.

On November 11, 2009, TDC's IDEA convened a community discussion that would foment broad County-wide interest in our collective economic future. While the initial meeting was designed only to get the discussion rolling, the data and table discussions that flowed from the meeting generated considerable community interest. The forum quickly realized that young professionals need to play a significant role in planning for our future for two reasons - they are tomorrow's leaders, and they have the best grasp on those aspects of our community and our economy that are most important to that very cohort we plan to attract.

Some of the initial conclusions from this meeting included:

• Workforce needs are expected to rise by about 10% from 2006 to 2016;
• The Clinton County workforce population is projected to decline;
• Census Bureau and Cornell projections have Clinton County population falling from almost 90,000 in 1990 to just over 70,000 by 2035;
• Like most states and rural areas, our state population is also shrinking and aging;
• The over-55 age bracket is growing rapidly, while all other age categories are shrinking;
• The Clinton County population is aging much more dramatically than the rest of the state; and
• Its median age will rise from 25 years in 1990 to 50 years in 2035.

The original meeting was followed up by a subsequent meeting in April of 2010. This meeting was broader, with more than seventy invitees, and the group discussions were lively. Discussion topics included Government Efficiency, the Cost of Doing Business in New York, Workforce Development and Education, Quality of Life, the Canadian Connection and Demographics.    Some of the conclusions from the groups include:

• We must address the declining capacity to pay that would result from rapidly increasing state and local tax levies;
• A workforce bottleneck means fewer workers support a greater number of retired residents;
• Meanwhile, local and state taxes continue to ratchet upward;
• We spend more per student than any other state;
• And yet our student performance is in the middle of the pack;
• While our local tax burden, in absolute terms and relative to income, continues to grow; and
• Rising tax burdens and workforce demands, and a rapidly shrinking workforce will concentrate the tax burden on fewer and fewer employed residents.

The groups noted that we can solve twin challenge of reducing tax burdens and attracting working age professionals by:

• Filling the growing gap in jobs needed and career age workers to fill them;
• Creating livable and affordable communities that will attract young professionals;
• Viewing our region as those who eye attractive and successful leading edge towns elsewhere; and
• Recognizing that we do not compete with our nearby counties, but rather we compete for businesses that are wooed and attracted across the state, the nation, and worldwide.

These discussions must now benefit from greater detail and specificity. We are constituting six standing committees that can participate in ongoing dialogues. The IDEA has asked a community leader to head each of these discussion groups. These groups will meet once or twice a month to interpret the data and create options for the larger group to consider. These chairs will then constitute a steering committee that can direct subsequent discussion of the larger group at the upcoming third Vision 2040 meeting this Fall of 2010.

Economic development, is of course, pursued by various local and regional development organizations, councils, and legislators. However, a grassroots educational effort, culminating in public dialogues and town meetings, is essential for the economic success of our region. Clinton County is fortunate that its residents are interested and engaged in our collective economic future.  Without the shared realization of the emerging economic landscape, and the grassroots wherewithal to do something about it, our economic future will continue to be serendipitous. With these efforts, though, great things are possible.

 

[BACK TO HOMEPAGE]