Fayette Forward – Meeting our challenges
Fayette Forward is a daylong event next Monday that is setting the stage for Fayette County to remain a vibrant county in the years to come.
The program will focus on a concern identified in the Fayette Visioning process – we are becoming old. As an aging Baby Boomer, I don’t like hearing this news about my community any more than I like hearing it about myself. But unlike myself, we can do something about the county.
Fayette County’s median age is 43.3 and is the highest median age of any county in the metro area and the 25th highest in Georgia.
To compare, Forsyth County has the next-highest rate in the metro area at 37.9.
While Fayette County’s population did grow by 16.7 percent in the last decade, the growth rate for people 65 and over was a whopping 67 percent.
On the other end of the age range, Fayette County’s 0-4 population dropped by nearly 8 percent between 2000 and 2010. The school-age population growth rate did see a small increase of 9.2 percent.
Census numbers and school enrollment trend indicate that Fayette County is not attracting young families as successfully as it has in the past.
Some may ask, “What’s the problem?” An older population is often more stable and financially sound. They create demand for service industries like banking, shopping and healthcare.
All good points but the challenge is that Fayette County needs to repeat past success stories in attracting industries that bring big capital investment and highly skilled, high-wage technical jobs.
For those concerned about tax increases, industrial and commercial development typically pay more in property taxes than the cost of local government services used. This helps keep taxes in check for Fayette County residents.
Industries in Fayette County that pay the best wages are experiencing challenges filling positions and are getting creative about attracting young talent.
Some pay signing bonuses and some offer perks. One company has set up an office near Georgia Tech to help fill the workforce pipeline at its Peachtree City location.
If companies find that these tactics either do not attract the needed workforce or they end up with high costs and little return, there is the potential that they could move their facilities to where the workforce is.
Fayette County’s challenges with attracting younger generations was identified in the Fayette Visioning process. The ideas to address this issue include land use development to enhance the housing and retail offerings, economic development to support startup companies and branding to get the word out about Fayette County. Plans are underway in all three areas.
Monday’s Fayette Forward event is partnering with Fayette Visioning to create dialogue about attracting millennials and share success stories from other communities.
Writer Pat Conroy said, “Every industry is going to be affected (by the aging population). This creates tremendous opportunities and tremendous challenges.” This is our opportunity to ensure the future of our home, Fayette County.
(Registration is required to attend the Fayette Forward event. To register, email [email protected]. Registrations close on Thursday, March 3.)
[Carlotta Ungaro, a Georgia native, was named president and CEO of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce in January 2015. Previously, she headed chambers in Morrisville, N.C., and Beaufort, S.C.]
- Carlotta Ungaro's blog
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Comments
If you read the City of Fayetteville report
You will find that the businesses and industries in the city and county are on the lower end compared to other cities. In other words, they expect employees to be ok with the hometown discount in order to work close by.
All the high paying jobs at the studios already went to out of town folks with experience and the report says that we should expect about 65 more positions in the future.
Yes, we need young people. But we are putting the cart before the horse. The local businesses have to pay better, and we need to find and recruit new commercial and industrial business (not retail) to the community.
If we do this, people will come and additional retail will follow.
Until this election in November is decided
No local government should be looking long term at a darn thing right now. Cool your planning jets, find out what the next 4 years of federal is going to bring come November, then start messing with long term projections on revenue and expenses.
For crying out loud, if Obamacare stays, that alone is going throw the federal budget into a tailspin come 2017 all by itself. It all trickles down to local levels. The Nov. election will affect all economic development across the country. I cannot think of a more tumultuous time to be attempting to plan new projects with so much uncertainty all across the country. As soon as the election comes close, interest rates are going to go through the roof again, too.
Who's taking that into account on new home buying and job creation projections? I have not heard one local government or elected say one word about the chilling effect of what this election might bring.
Carlotta, I suggest you quit lying to The Citizen and the public about this March 7th taxpayer paid gathering. It is NOT open to the public, it is invite only by someone on the committee yet you lie and call it making a reservation. LIke going out to dinner.
Does Dan Cathy endorse this as an ethical way to collect tax dollars from the county and cities and then deny entrance if the actual so-called review and approval demanded by the committee denies taxpayers from attending? I find that hard to believe. Shameful, too, if that is the case. Sounds like something Mr. Righteous Jimmy candidate Pace might come up with.
MLC,, Dude,,,
MLC,, Dude,,,
Hush your mouth, Common Sense, Business Savvy approaches, and Thought are Acid to local Governments,, How dare Fayette BOC and BOE start acting like it's THEIR Money at stake
Thanks for nothing Carlotta
Invitation Only
http://fayettevision.org/events/millennials-in-fayette-county/
AND you have
to sign a nondisclosure agreement if you want to go to this. Shhhhh. I wonder if The Citizen is going and are they allowed to report what they see and hear. Notice the link you provide makes no mention of how you get an invite or who qualifies you to be approved and by what standard.
Non disclosure
Perhaps that has to be done when you enter the studio, so some idiot doesnt get a glimsp of some star and spread rumors.
Don't think anything being told is any secret. It's being set up as a one sided conversation. Everyone will leave screaming "Save the millennials" when they leave.
Yes, that and
screaming, "Show us the tax money, let's spend some more and get this done!" The county administrator, all the mayors and the prezbo of Ga. Tech are speaking. The mayor of Greenville, SC (how did he sneak in, anyway?) GA Econ.Dev., ARC, SCAD, Atl. C of C, Suwanee city councilor and manager, Aventure Aviation and an urbanist. Yes, we sure need and want an urbanist for Fayette County. I hear Trump is planning to fly in to Falcon Field on the sly and try to make it to recite the Developers Closing Prayer at the end.
Well they ain't getting any splost money
They ain't getting any splost money in the near future. If any splost is approved it will be for infrastructure.
So, they are going to raise taxes or provide some developer incentives to do something. If they do that, I vote no splost.
There will surely be a prayer Monday. They need it.
Prayer on Monday
Prayer on Monday
I hear Barlow invited a Wiccan High Priestess this time, The Fayetteville Iman was busy planning with Hamas.....
Hypocritical
I guess people don't read his facebook page. He invites all religions to say the prayer, yet he probably has his fingers crossed behind his back when they pray. Every Sunday he announces he is going to church to pray for the one true god. I guess anyone else that prays differently isn't worthy.
H&F
H&F
No I don't read his nor anyone else's Facebook Page as I refuse to have a FB Account,,I really don;t care when Bubba picks his nose or Sissy started,,,again (Thankfully)