Spoke to the Rotary Club in Eupora the other day and had a delicious meal at the Magnolia Grill on N. Dunn Street.  Cynthia Wilson, Executive Director of the Webster County Development Council, gave me directions telling me that it was on, “…on the low side.”  I wasn’t certain what that meant and did not ask.  I found out later that the west side of North Dunn Street in downtown Eupora is literally higher than the east side.  The locals use “high side” or “low side” to refer to which side.

That’s the kind of little thing that makes a community unique.

By the way, if you like good food and good people in restaurants in restored, downtown buildings the you will like the Magnolia Grill in Eupora, the Crown in Indianola and Kittrell’s on the Square in Lexington.

Eric P. Canada & Nancy A. Blane, of Blane Canada, an economic development consulting firm, write in their latest newsletter that “…seven out of 10 economic development organizations we work with do not have a database of the primary companies in the community.”

Every economic developer should be on a first name basis with the largest employers in the community.

In my business I use Web sites of city governments, chambers of commerce and economic development agencies on a daily basis.  It seems that city government Web sites in particular are going through a phase right now.  They are becoming either really good or really poor.  Put another way, it seems that cities have either made the commitment to get on the Web in a professional way, or they have abandoned their sites.  In this post, I’ll discuss what I notice in well-done city Web sites.  Next Monday, May 19, I’ll reveal my list of good, bad and ugly Web sites from the 25 largest cities in Mississippi.

Here’s my list of major annoyances with poor city Web sites:

1.  Out of date - I look on the calendar of events and see old information.  Some cities try to get around maintaining up-to-date Web sites by just putting annual recurring events on the site.  Nice try.

2.  No contact information - Most of my visits to a city Web site involve attempting to find contact information.  I’m looking for a phone number or an up-to-date (see # 1) e-mail address.  I despise clicking on a CONTACT US link only to be rewarded with a form box to fill in, followed by a message that my issue will be investigated and someone will get back in touch with me.

3.  Poor design -  Some Web sites just look like they were constructed 10 years ago and just left to sit on the Web.

4.  More poor design - City Web sites should have an overall theme and a template.  When each department’s Web page looks nothing like the portal page it is a sign to me that the city does not coordinate its departments and activities.

So come back next Monday when I’ll name names.  Constructive criticism implied. No malice here.

Oh, if you would like to tell me about your favorite city Web site, I’d love to post it.

Stephen Moore, Senior Economic Writer for the Wall Street Journal, says in today’s column that”… four years ago, Mississippi transformed itself from judicial hell hole to job magnet, a story that is instructive for other states trying to attract jobs in turbulent economic times. The lessons here are especially timely, because the pro-growth tort reform trend that was once spreading across the country may soon reverse course.”

Read the complete column.  

Site Selection magazine has named the Community Development Foundation, headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, to its 2007 list of Top Ten economic development groups in the United States.  The selection is based on the following criteria:

total capital investment;
investment per capita;
total jobs created;
jobs created per capita;
the contributions of the local or regional economic development organization toward the attainment of these numbers;
overall economic vitality;
depth and breadth of economic strength;
diversity of industry;
ability to generate breakthrough deals;
and the ability to provide verifiable documentation for all projects. 

The above-titled book by Donald Elliott will be of interest to planners and zoning officials.  According to the author’s Web site, “A Better Way to Zone provides a vision of future zoning that is not tied to a particular picture of how cities should look, but is instead grounded in how cities should work.”

The principles are:

1 - More Flexible Uses
2 - The Mixed Use Middle
3 - Attainable Housing
4 - Mature Area Standards
5 - Living With Non-Conformities
6 - Dynamic Development Standards
7 - Negotiated Large Developments
8 - Depoliticized Final Approvals
9 - Better Webbing
10 -Scheduled Maintenance

The Institute for Legal Reform just issued its 2008 Lawsuit Report.

The best states, according to the report are Delaware, Nebraska, Maine, Indiana and Utah.  Listed as worst are West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Illinois. 

I never cease to be amazed at the creative ways that communities find to bring in visitors. Most communities have festivals with arts and crafts booths, musical entertainment, etc.  But one event is coming unlike any other I’ve seen in Mississippi.  

On May 24, 2008, downtown Booneville will be the site of the Racin’ Round Downtown Go-Kart Race, a Monte Carlo-style racing event.  Booneville has tapped into the world of go-kart racing; there’s another track at a center just north of town.  Check out these links:

Racin’ Round Downtown Go-Kart Race, Booneville, MS  May 24 

Kart Tracks in Mississippi 

According to an online article of the Greenville News, the German automaker said Wednesday (April 24) it had narrowed its search for a U.S. plant location to the states of Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee.

Here’s the link to the article:

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080424/BUSINESS/804240309/1001/NEWS01

State Treasurer Tate Reeves will be the guest speaker at a May 5, 2008 luncheon jointly sponsored by the Stennis Institute of Government and the Capitol Press Corps.  The event will take place at noon at Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church in downtown Jackson, Mississippi.  Cost is $8.00, payable to the church.

This event is open to the public.

For more info, e-mail me at phil@philhardwick.com.