by Don A. Wright
Special to the Daily Record
Fresno, Calif. — Once a year the business community gets together to hear innovative ideas for improving the business climate of the San Joaquin Valley, and to gain insights into how to raise the quality of life in the area.
The annual Business Executive Breakfast was held this morning at the Radisson in downtown Fresno. The event was previously called the Business Forecast Breakfast, but to be true to the topic the name has been changed.
“It’s not just a forecast where a speaker presents charts predicting what’s going to happen next year,” said Eric McCormick, director of sales and marketing for The Business Journal, host of the event. “It’s now more of an ideas breakfast.”
Mayor John Delaney was the speaker and discussed ideas that have worked for his city; ideas that may find resounding notes for area leaders.
Delaney said the parallels between Jacksonville and Fresno are uncanny.
“Jacksonville could be called a slightly older brother to Fresno,” said Delaney. The two cities have a similar population and both are struggling with urban growth.
Delaney’s talk focused on improving governmental management. He has lowered the property tax rate seven consecutive years to its lowest level since the 1970s, saving taxpayers nearly $90 million. Despite tremendous population growth, Delaney has reduced the civilian workforce, continuing an 11-year trend, while improving and expanding City services. Jacksonville’s city and county services have been consolidated, easing duplication of services and freeing resources for other needs.
This easing of taxes has made the Better Jacksonville Plan more palatable for voters, who enacted a limited half-cent sales tax, targeting improved roads and infrastructure, land conservation and environmental preservation, economic development and downtown revitalization.
He has also added the equivalent of more than 300 police officers to Jacksonville’s streets. Efficiencies have meant more funding for social services, children’s programs, land preservation and the arts, and last May, the City received the Florida Sterling Award recognizing organization excellence.
Jacksonville’s attention to quality of life has helped shape its view toward growth management and land conservation. Although Jacksonville is not an agricultural center like Fresno, whose economy depends on the land, it has still been able to set aside more than 19,000 acres for conservation and passive recreation. Delaney categorizes parks as active and passive.
To guide growth, Delaney sees two primary options, regulation or buy out. “You can either regulate planning decisions, in effect telling people what they can and cannot do with their property,” said Delaney. “Or you can buy the land and take it out of development.” By the end of his term, Delaney expects $250 million worth of land will have been preserved for the citizens of Jacksonville.
Active parks have swing sets, passive parks are green strips. Depending upon criteria, a case can be made for claiming Jacksonville leads the nation with the largest park system of any municipality. There are current plans to upgrade more than 100 local parks. In 1996, Delaney began a citywide beautification effort and also charged residents with planting one million new trees in Jacksonville in five years. In 2001, Jacksonville citizens exceeded that goal.
Delaney said one of the most important goals for any area is shedding inferiority complexes.
“During the 1980s Jacksonville was able to lure back office enterprises such as call centers. There was some initial criticism because these are not top paying jobs. However, they’ve helped get the workforce into the workforce and paved the way for a better future,” he said.
Jacksonville, according to Delaney, was considered the laughingstock of the nation when it actively recruited the Baltimore Colts National Football League franchise. Low and behold, the city ended up with the Jaguars, an expansion team, and will host the Super Bowl in 2005.
“We had to develop a new attitude,” he said.
— Don A. Wright is a staff writer for
The Business Journal in Fresno, Calif.