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not compacted, and it will decay. After a few viding capital at reasonable cost are areas of 4111 years, if the resident is lucky, a gaping hole interest in Decatur. We have used these as appears in his front yard. If he is unlucky, it part of the selective growth strategy in terms shows up under some part of the foundation. of low-interest loans to encourage rehabilita- Why should a developer be allowed to cut his tion projects the city was interested in and to cost and pass that cost off to some unsuspect- get a development commitment for a new ing homeowner or to the local government? downtown hotel that is an extremely high pri- Decatur ordinances do not allow builders' ority for the city. pits. One developer this past year decided he would do it anyway. City officials told him to quit. He kept doing it. They took him to Conclusion court. The judge fined him $1,000 and told I am not advocating a growth or a no-growth him the next time he was in court he would or a selective growth policy; I am advocating be going to jail. City officials told him to a rational growth policy. To have a rational clean up the mess or they would take him growth policy, you need to clearly articulate back to court. He cleaned up the mess. your goals and your vision for the future. Developers are welcome in Decatur, but What happens is too important to be left up they must play by the rules. Some developers to the developers. Managers must be careful who do not like to play by the rules do not that current development is not building in feel welcome in Decatur. costs that communities are going to be paying for the next 30 years. While I do not believe that we can fine tune control over the local - Skilled Labor Supply economy, I have discussed some tools that While the availability of skilled labor is im- can be used to influence what happens in our portant for economic growth, this area is not communities. subject to manipulation to influence growth There may well be a conflict between mak- strategies in the Atlanta metropolitan area. ing the maximum possible profit and doing The region's skilled and highly mobile work those things that provide for a good quality of • force can get to where the opportunities are. life for our communities in the future. We are building the future of our communities. Financial Inducements The developers will be looking after the prof- its. Who is going to be looking after the Reducing front-end costs and risks and pro- future? PM JOB RESOURCE The ICMA Newsletter Can Help You Find .,cr, a Local Government Position! .v. . ==_= , The ICMA Newsletter is published biweekly, and each issue contains job openings for administrators, - --_- assistants, interns, finance, and other positions in q._== ..---.....--.7p,-.:-_:-� local government. �� For information on placing an advertisement, con- . ---- s tact Kathy Karas, Editor, ICMA Newsletter, 1120 ::-.:::-:_-,y-_,...;: - G Street, N.W, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. IP __=,.. 20005, 202/626-4624. For subscription information, call 202/626-4620. 8 PM August 1988