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