I ran for Mayor with a pledge to work on our downtown and the problems many small cities face with regard to old, vacant, or dilapidated buildings. I have read many books on the subject. We have hired consultants, who will give you guidelines on various aspects, but up to now I have never found an article or consultant that will tell you do A, B, C, D, and you are done.
I hope this will help the numerous mayors, council members, and citizens who want to see their rural city come back and thrive in this new and exciting economy.
Clarissa and similar cities all around the state account for more than half of the cities in Minnesota. The economics and look of the cities have changed dramatically over the last fifty years and it is a very important issue if we are going to see a renaissance in small town life.
Demographics show that there will be a migration from the big cities to more rural areas as the baby- boomer generation retires. They are going to settle down in rural areas that are close to the products and services they want.
There are a lot of books and articles online about guidelines to revitalizing a small city. I will leave all of you to read that important body of work. However I would like to give a few first hand reasons why I think small cities struggle:
- One is the lack of VISION. I think if you have lived through the last twenty-five years in rural Minnesota you have witnessed agriculture consolidating away from the family farms that once scattered the landscape. We have watched the manufacturing companies follow suit. It has resulted in tremendous change, and over time has instilled some sense of helplessness in being able to control the future of small city life. It has left us with a mindset of the status-quo and that nothing can be done as a citizen, council person, or mayor. (With the advances of technology I think this has dramatically changed the outlook for rural cities and we will discuss this positive aspect further.)
- Another is TIME. Time is our most important asset. I feel it has been misused with a well intentioned purpose. Our council meets twice a month. We are the only council in the area that meets twice a month with most cities choosing to meet just once. The reason is cities try and cut down on the per Diem money spent which is a very valid concern.
However, if you read the minutes of a typical meeting it takes two hours to get through the “everyday” business of a city. This session just approves the permits, pays the bills, deals with the issues that arise over any given month. The old saying goes “The brain can comprehend what a rear-end can endure.” This really leaves no time for a mayor or council to do the visioning and planning that a city requires. Small cities require as much time and planning as our larger counterparts.
I would encourage all small cities to go to two meetings minimum, and maybe implement some subcommittees for additional meetings during the month. You want to be careful not to spread it out to thin, but you need more than one meeting.
- Dependency on Consultants is another reason why cities struggle. We hired a group to do our Comprehensive Plan that took the better part of a year. The completion of a Comprehensive Plan accomplishes NOTHING. I have found in Clarissa that once the process was complete it has been hard to re-engage people in implementing what was decided upon.
It is how you implement those plans that are important. Consultants will not give you an A, B, C, path to follow. Do not hire a consultant thinking that is what you will get in return for their fee. That is where the administrator, mayor, and council are vital.
- Lack of Partnerships. Please…..Please……Please…..try and make partnerships with other cities, economic development groups, non-profits, county, and state leaders. I think all of you will be surprised at the expertise and resources that are out there; however, you are not aware they exist.
- Lastly, and the purpose of this article, is the lack of a “How to Guide” in dealing the old, dilapidated, and vacant infrastructure that exist in many cities all around the State of Minnesota and many similar cities around the United States.
I tell people around our city that Donald Trump will not be coming to Clarissa with the next big project. Cities have to implement strategies that provide opportunities for private investment to come and invest in your area. Small cities need to do more things on their own to get the ball rolling for new businesses. It is important to let the market work but the city will need to kick start areas that need addressing.
Part II & III will discuss the real live situation that exits here in Clarissa and how we have (and are going to) address these problems in a path that hopefully anyone can follow and modify. Please if you have your own suggestions and experiences please share them so we can begin a comprehensive “How to Guide”.
