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GOPC Report Looks at the Potential Impact of Muni Income Tax Law Changes on Smaller Ohio Cities
Utilizing data made available by the Regional Income Tax Authority, GOPC reports that 300 small cities and villages could lose $105 million annually if the emergency measure is repealed. GOPC also examined the impact of the proposed repeal on Ohio’s 16 small legacy cities and finds that 62.5% of them can anticipate net losses in municipal income tax revenue resulting from the proposed changes.
Brookings’ Ideas for Strengthening Rural America: Leaning Into Already Impactful, Equitable Strategies
The Brookings Institute has released a report series, Building resilient rural places: Strategies from local leaders to strengthen rural assets, diversity, and dynamism, to refocus our attention on better understanding rural America and the “hyperlocal strategies” taking place to increase their growth and diversity.
GOPC Recognized for work supporting the Rebuilding and Rejuvenation of Ohio's Legacy Cities
The Dispatch recognized GOPC for working to rebuild and rejuvenate Ohio’s “legacy cities” that have been hit hard by societal changes. “Cities like Sandusky and Marion and Hamilton don’t carry as great a burden as Portsmouth’s, but they too have struggled with the loss of manufacturing jobs and population. That makes the progress shown in the Greater Ohio Policy Center’s updated report especially encouraging.”
Meet Kathleen - A Hopewell, Ohio "Boomerang"
GOPC Launches Online Toolkit for Smaller Legacy City Revitalization
Touring Northwest Ohio
By Alison D. Goebel, Associate Director Periodically, GOPC staff likes to get out of the office and meet with leaders in their communities to learn about new and exciting changes that are developing throughout Ohio. With this mission in mind, earlier this month I visited Tiffin and Findlay to find out what is going on in these Northwest Ohio cities.
Tiffin has about 17,500 residents; Findlay about 41,500. Both are the home to smaller universities and have beautiful rivers running through their downtown. Findlay is the headquarters for two Fortune 500 companies—Marathon Petroleum and Cooper Tire--and Tiffin has several smaller manufacturing plants.
Tiffin has a number of planning processes underway to better leverage its cute downtown, which includes historic buildings and sits between Tiffin University and Heidelberg University. As it is, in the last three years, the city has established a local job creation tax credit that complements the state tax credit, signaling to employers that the city wants to be business friendly. The city has also created a facade enhancement program to help downtown building owners, and they have established a revitalization district in downtown and along a major corridor to help attract businesses. Small businesses have already begun to return to empty storefronts in downtown and the downtown redevelopment plans are expected to help Tiffin become even more strategic with its resources.
Downtown Findlay is very picturesque and almost all storefronts have first floor tenants. Marathon is expanding their downtown campus and a large grocery distributor is building a new facility on the edge of town that will employ 425 residents. While Findlay is working at distinct corporate advantage with its two Fortune 500 headquarters located within its borders, Findlay elected officials credit the city’s success to the private sector's engagement and commitment to having a thriving city now and in the future. Officials explain that the city’s governing philosophy is "to create an environment for investment" and that "if companies know what to expect and know it’s a safe place [to invest] they will come." Long ago, Findlay committed to making it as easy as possible for their businesses to expand and stay. Findlay's investment areas are predictable, their commitment to respond to corporate needs is established, and leaders in all sectors understand that they depend on one another for long-term success.
I appreciated the opportunity to meet with officials that are valuing the power of their downtowns and recognize the economic and social benefits of thriving business districts and collaborative cross-sector relationships. Hats off to Findlay and Tiffin!
Lessons for Small City Revitalization: The Regeneration of Ohio’s Smaller Legacy Cities
By Alison D Goebel, Associate Director This morning I had the pleasure of giving the keynote address at the Annual Meeting of the Springfield Center City Association. In my presentation, I discussed how Springfield, Ohio is faring across a number of demographic indicators and how it compares to peer cities.
Click the image above to view the presentation.
GOPC’s research finds that medium- and small-sized cities in Ohio are comparable or even out-performing some of their larger legacy city peers. However, we know that medium and small cities face significant challenges due to their smaller populations, tax bases, and markets and so much of the presentation included strategies smaller cities can implement, which have demonstrated success in larger legacy cities across the country.
Thank you again to Springfield Center City Association for the invitation!