Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Deal aims to end tug of war on jobs
Columbus, 8 suburbs to sign no-poaching pledge;
council approves boost in budget for public safety

By Robert Vitale

The Columbus Dispatch

Columbus and up to eight of its suburbs are about to take the first step toward a regional agreement to end job-poaching across local borders.

Development directors from each, who are members of a regional professional group called the Mid-Ohio Development Exchange, are expected to sign a code of conduct by the end of the week that includes a pledge not to "actively initiate the solicitation of companies from other communities in central Ohio."

Even as the Columbus City Council approved tax credits last night for a Westerville company that’s moving to Columbus, officials lauded the pledge as "the beginning of a conversation" about ending cross-border competition for jobs.

"Pretty much everyone’s at the table," said Bill Webster, Columbus’ economic-development administrator. "We expect full participation and full cooperation among our members."

Columbus will sign the pledge enthusiastically, Webster told council members. Other municipalities expected to sign include Dublin, Gahanna, Groveport, New Albany, Obetz, Upper Arlington, Whitehall and Worthington, which are listed as members on the development group’s Web site.

Officials from most communities have complained about job-poaching in recent years, usually when they’re on the losing end of a deal. Columbus officials say suburbs didn’t raise the issue, though, until the city started fighting back.

At the same time, nearly all say central Ohio communities need to focus on bringing new jobs into the region instead of pulling them from one locale to another.

Webster said Columbus didn’t approach Ohio Valley Cable Services Inc. about relocating from Westerville. The company, which has 46 full-time employees, had been considering moving to Georgia or Florida, but it decided to stay in central Ohio for an expansion that will add 25 more jobs.

In addition to the promise that communities won’t approach one another’s businesses about moving, those who sign the development code vow that they’ll encourage companies to talk to officials in their current location when approached about a move.

Columbus Councilwoman Maryellen O’Shaughnessy said the tough issue for regional officials is coming up with a revenue-sharing agreement that would do away with the incentive for luring one another’s employers.

Development Director Mark Barbash, however, said the city is willing to discuss all options for regional cooperation and is looking at revenue-sharing agreements used in other parts of the country.

In other business last night, the City Council unanimously approved a 2007 budget for Columbus that commits 69 cents out of every generalfund dollar to police, fire and public safety.

Council members added nearly $3.8 million to Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s proposed spending plan. The general fund of almost $635 million includes an extra police class to train new officers, an expansion of strike forces in highcrime neighborhoods and increased funding to help homeless residents of the city.

"How we spend our dollars reflects our values and priorities," said Councilwoman Charleta B. Tavares, whose budget amendments added funding for health and socialservice initiatives.

General-fund spending is up 6.3 percent compared with final projections for 2006, but this will be the first year since 2002 that the city doesn’t expect to tap into its rainy-day fund to balance the budget.