Growing our economy | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: Jim Bispo's weekly column appears in the Beaufort Observer.

    Did you know that the State of NC Department of Commerce runs a program (in addition to all the other things it does) designed to bring retirees to a specific community?? Which community, you ask??

    That would be the community that completed the 9 page application to the state, sent them the $10,000.00 (minimum) processing fee, and was accepted into the program. (Actually the application is longer than that but there are only 9 pages of questions to be answered.) Then the state will do something to promote your town as a place to retire. (It isn't overly clear just what they will do, but it is something...) To take a look at the forms click here. Then scroll down to the "2012-2013 program application forms", open it and prepare to be amazed.

    It is not clear whether the Department has any "models" to show how well the "retire here program" is working. In view of the clearly misleading information they seem to rely on to show the "success" of their tourism activity, it may be a good idea to ask for some "actual data" before handing over $10,000.00 of the taxpayers' hard earned money to the Department of Commerce to promote anything. And even then, it still may not be such a good deal....

    However, when you stop to think about it a little, there are some fairly enticing thoughts that come to mind. When a retiree moves here what happens?? They bring their retirement, their health insurance, their Social Security and their 401K. What they don't do is bring kids (except for Christmas or summer vacation - mostly). That means that they do not put any additional stress on our schools (which consume around half of the taxes we pay). They tend to be law abiding, so they don't put much stress on law enforcement. They don't put much stress on any other government services. They will spend money in the community. They shop at the grocery stores. They eat out. They gas up their vehicles. They get their hair done. They spend money on a lot of things. And it is not just for the couple of days they visit; it's every day, every week, and every month of the year. Chances are they wouldn't even put much strain on our cemeteries. If history is any guide, when they "expire" their remains would likely be sent "home" for internment.

    It seems to me that potential new residents come in at least two versions. The first would be those who require (or desire) their entertainment to be made for them. The second group would be the group who can make their own entertainment.

    The first group would need social amenities, perhaps fine arts, good shopping, conveniently available diversions. An operation like The Villages would likely be their cup of tea. Tennis courts, golf, swimming pools, jogging paths, maybe fishing ponds, riding trails, community game room, exercise facilities, organized activities, gourmet dining, stables and the like. Here we would be looking at an essentially self contained "community: This would typically be a "high maintenance" group.

    The second group, while likely appreciating all the foregoing amenities would not likely "need" the breadth of activities and the degree of organization required by the first group. It would likely take a fairly upscale subdivision compound to interest these folks. But typically this would not be such a "high maintenance" group.

    Of course, no matter what we do any retirees who come here must insulated from the ravages of the hurricanes that occasionally take aim on us. Construction requirements for any retirement compounds must be stringent enough to handle the occasional hurricane which means the adoption of Dade County (FL) type building requirements and property which is sufficiently elevated so as to not be inundated when the storm surge associated with a hurricane does show up. I believe the precise elevation required to satisfy the "no flooding" requirement would vary from one part of the county to another. Any developer who shows up at the door with a smile on his face and a desire to pick up a few bucks must completely understand that anything he is allowed to construct is going to cost him a little more than he (or she) may be accustomed to. And don't even think about asking the taxpayers to pick up the tab for any of it. Maybe a little abatement of real property tax for the developer on improvements they add to the realty (depending on what we get for it), but noting more.

    Along with an influx of retirees comes the need for more "services"; Grocery stores, restaurants, hair dressers, barbers, housekeepers, yard maintenance folks, mechanics, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and the like, as well as physicians.. That means more jobs.(Lord knows we already have plenty of pharmacies.)

    So what do you suppose retirees would be looking for when they look for a place to settle?? How about a moderate climate?? - we have that (everything is relative). Low taxes?? We don't have that but we could. Fairly low cost of living?? Except for property taxes I would suggest we are fairly competitive. Surely the state income tax "Bailey Exemption" for certain federal retirees would be a draw for that group. Peace and quiet?? We have that - pretty much. Folks looking for life in the fast lane would likely be disappointed here. Easy availability of medical care?? We have that if you don't mind being treated like a number - but surely we could work with Vidant on improving that situation. Good roads?? Our roads aren't bad - except for the litter which I suspect certainly does not create such a good impression - especially on newcomers. I'm sure there are other things which I have failed to mention, but the foregoing list surely represents a beginning of a fairly comprehensive set of talking points which extol the virtues of living here.. The long and short of it is that this is a good place to live. It seems that should be a pretty easy "sell" compared to convincing folks to take the two lane Rte. 264 "scenic route" to the outer banks instead of the divided four lane, limited access, Rte 64 that was surely constructed for that very purpose.

    It seems clear that compared to increasing tourism, increasing our population by bringing retirees to live here offers a much better potential for long term and lasting improvement of our economic environment. We can only wonder why it is that none of the "tourist tax" proposals we have heard discussed seem to have even considered this approach as an alternative to the tax and spend approach to economic development.

    D'ya think??