|
Community
ownership needed by EDC
[FEB.
3, 2000] Lincoln,
what do you want to be when you grow up?
That is the question that Mark Smith, the director
of economic development for Lincoln and Logan County, is
trying to help answer.
Smith is trying to help the residents of Logan
County get to where they want to be and to make everything
in county the best that it can be.
|
The
mission of the Logan County Economic Development Council is
to enhance the economic climate and quality of life in Logan
County by mobilizing the talents and energies of business
enterprises, local governments and institutions to work in
partnership to achieve growth and prosperity for businesses
and job creation for Logan County citizens.
The governing board consists of a nine-member council
made up of officials from the city, county, chamber of
commerce and members at large.
Smith’s
innovation has included facilitating a number of focus
groups inside and outside of the city of Lincoln to gather
recommendations and comments from residents and businesses
about their desires for their county.
As part of his presentation Smith asks,
“What is good about your town?
What is not so good? What do you think we should
do?” Three
more questions that he asks are, “Where have we been? Where are we now? And, where will we be in the future?”
![](../images/economic%20dev/economic_dev.jpg)
He
also listed the suggestions that he heard at least twice and
he will use this list to help formulate an economic plan or
a vision for Logan County.
Smith said, “I will find the best way to allocate
the city’s time, treasures and talents.”
Smith is not creating the vision but clarifying it,
based on the desires of the residents. “My job is to help Lincoln get to where it wants to be,”
he commented.
|
Some
of the recommendations are as follows: the need for more
higher paying jobs, the removal of tax caps, more parks and
open spaces, another 18-hole golf course and better building
maintenance. Improving streets and alley ways, enhancing the appearance of
several small communities, adding more housing options, and
larger conference and meeting facilities, along with working
to develop a public lake, are at the top of the list.
Smith
continued, “I
want all of the entities in the county--residents, the chamber
of commerce, school districts, churches, businesses,
industry and others--to take ownership in the future of
Logan County. But
first they must identify what it is they want. The next step
is to participate by asking, how can I help?
Any successful plan must be community owned.
It has to be a partnership.”
He
explained, “In the 1980s there were many negative changes
in the economic landscape as a result of plant closures and
job losses. We saw a lot of well-paying factory jobs leave
our community. Economic
development is a long-term, day to day process that involves
a lot of hard work.”
Marketing
and promotion is a large part of his job, and Smith added,
“Each time my telephone rings it increases the potential
for success. It
may be a business that is looking for a town to relocate and
maybe Lincoln will make their short list.”
[Kym
Ammons-Scott]
|
’Tis
the season to give
or…receive
[FEB.
2, 2000] With
W-2s flooding people’s mailboxes and only two months
until the April 15 deadline—the tax season is officially
upon us. According
to one Lincoln accountant, more people than ever will be
using electronic filing to get a refund fast.
|
"Internal Revenue is pushing to have more people
file electronically so we're offering it free to
everybody," said Clarence Barney of H & R Block.
"We're trying to get 85 percent of returns filed that
way."
Barney said other changes in the state tax laws are
few this year.
"There's $100 more child credit (from $400 to
$500) and the earned income credit is a little higher,"
he said.
Dale Meier of Meier Accounting and Tax Service
agreed. "There
are very few changes and the new ones are minor," he
said.
While this tax season has been virtually uneventful,
both men agreed that February is their busiest month.
"The W-2s started coming this week and my
calendar is booked for a few weeks," Meier said.
"The next three weeks are our busiest - the last
week in January and the first three in February," said
Barney. "You still get your procrastinators - some
people don't get in a big hurry because they don't need the
money."
Another local accountant who is swamped this month is
Mike Abbott of JM Abbott & Associates.
"We get very busy in February because farmers
are required to file March, and corporation taxes are due
March 15,” he said. “After
that, you always have your individual procrastinators, but
most clients are in by April."
One thing you can take to the bank is that early
filers are looking for a refund.
"This time of the year 90 percent of the people
get refunds and they want to get it fast,” Barney said.
The quickest way for people to get the refund is by
filing electronically.
“You can get your refund in your bank account in
two weeks,” Barney adds.
"Between
now and the first of March, it's all refunds," Meier
said. "After the first of March, 90 percent of the
people have to pay. They're in no hurry so they just wait.
There's some that will wait until April 15, but
three-fourths of those will file an extension.
They just don't want to let go of their money."
Abbott said his refund ratio is a little different.
|
"Of our clients now, probably half get refunds
and half have to pay," he said. "Our business
clients and our farmers usually owe money."
While people are eager to receive their money, many
filers don't bring all the paperwork needed to complete
their returns, Barney and Meier admitted.
"Most people are well prepared," Barney
said. "After you do their returns for a year, they
know what they need to bring.”
But sometimes after discussing their taxes
“problems they don't know they have” will originate.
![](../images/h&r%20block/hrblock_sign.jpg)
Meier had a slightly different story.
In general, “very few people come in prepared,”
he stated. “The
ones I've had for awhile know what to bring, but some new
ones have to come in twice."
Over the years, Abbott has found a solution for
this problem.
"We send our clients an organizer and give them a
pre-appointment," he said. "It forces them to
get their stuff together before them come in."
[Ellen
Shawgo]
|
Census
2000 Awareness Campaign Hits the County
[FEB.
1, 2000] Got
Census? Logan County residents will receive US Census 2000
questionnaires in the mail in early March. But the
Awareness Campaign is already underway to make residents
aware of the purpose of the census and to inform them of
how the results can help to enrich our community. Census
results provide social and economic facts about people and
housing that is used by the state and local governments to
assist in future planning.
|
Reverend
Glenn Shelton, Chairman of the Complete Count Committee for
Logan County’s Census 2000 said, "We want every
resident to complete the Census questionnaire in a timely
and accurate manner. The Complete Count Committee’s (CCC)
objective is to raise interest in Census 2000 throughout the
community by implementing an awareness campaign that will
reach every resident."
There
are 9,847 household units in Logan County that must be
counted to reach the 100% goal for the county. The county’s
current population is 15,257, a decrease of 171 people since
1990. Shelton said, " In our last count according to
the US Census, we missed 1, 632 residents which equated in a
loss of over $4 million in federal and state funding over
the last ten years. We do not want to make this mistake
again." These missed residents during the 1990 Census
meant that the county fell short of the census goal by 17%.
According to Census Bureau information, every 500 households
undercounted equates to a $218,500.00 loss in revenue to the
community per year until the next census.
![](0131_001.jpg)
The
CCC will implement its Awareness Campaign in three phases.
The first one is already underway and will continue until
the questionnaires are mailed out in mid-March. Local
businesses are encouraged to place posters in their windows.
Advertisements and inserts will be included in the local
newspaper and in the utility and cable company mailings.
Eighty-three percent of the households in the country will
receive the short-form questionnaire that asks questions
about six subjects and will take about 10 minutes to
complete. The long form includes the 34 subjects and will
take about 38 minutes to complete.
|
![](billworkman_ad_1.jpg)
Shelton
said, "After the questionnaires have been mailed, we
will start our second phase and remind everyone to fill
out the questionnaire and if there are questions, we will
be happy to inform the Census Bureau and help answer any
questions to ensure a timely response. Our third and final
phase involves advising residents who have not mailed
their questionnaires. An Enumerator will be visiting their
household to assist them in completing the form. I am
confident that with this committee’s commitment that the
Lincoln Community will have a complete count for 2000 and
we will receive our fair share of federal and state
funding."
Census
information determines the reapportionment of seats for
the U.S. House of Representatives. It also decides where
to draw federal, state and local legislative districts,
school district boundaries and it assists in designing
public safety strategies, locating factory sites and
distribution centers, and setting community goals, used to
attract new business to the state and local areas. The
U.S. Constitution has mandated a national census every 10
years since 1790.
[Kym
C. Ammons-Scott]
|
|
|