Our county was changed in April 2024 when the devastating tornado caused destruction and havoc in Sulphur. Whether we realize it or not this one event impacted every citizen who lives within the county boundaries.
We now find ourselves 16 months into building and rebuilding brick and mortar structures for the next generations to come. This is what we call community development and economic development but do we understand exactly what that means?
What is Community Development? From a community perspective, community development includes nearly every type of purposeful community change. Creating purposeful change (development) of aspects of economy, health, physical infrastructure, governance, social needs or other aspects of living addressed at a community level are expressions of community development.
Investments in community development are often intended to improve the quality of life for residents. Efforts to guide community development frequently start by assessing areas of needed change, or by identifying a preferred status the community would like to achieve. Results can include:
•A sense of pride and ownership in/for the community
•A healthier environment
•An engaged citizenry working in the interest of all the community
•Improved services for community residents
•Increased education opportunities
•Increased employment or wealth accumulation opportunities
•Overall improved quality of life What is Economic Development?
Economic Development Usually Takes Three Forms In Communities
•Business Attraction
•Business Creation (Entrepreneurial Development)
•Business Retention and Expansion All three forms of economic development aim to create new primary jobs that pay more than the prevailing wage, increase the amount of income coming into the community from outside its market area, and create greater capital investment in the community. The strategy is to achieve this in a number of diversified industries.
Economic Development Has Three Main Purposes: •To give a greater number of people greater access to wealth through personal economic growth.
•To increase the tax base of communities in order to provide higher quality public services to residents.
•To diversify the economic base and thereby cushion the community against economic shocks.
All three forms of economic development aim to create new primary jobs that pay more than the prevailing wage, increase the amount of income coming into the community from outside its market area, and create greater capital investment in the community.
Each person living within the boundaries of Murray County is impacted with how our two cities, along with rural individual businesses carry out both community and economic development. If they aren’t successful our property taxes could rise, ambulance and fire services could be decreased, our county hospital could be impacted, and our roads and bridges could deteriorate. Hundreds of jobs are impacted by our development and our education system is crippled if we aren’t moving forward.
We have an opportunity as citizens to become involved in the image of our cities and the county as a whole. The power of first impression impacts all of us. Become educated on how a dollar flows in and out of our community, volunteer to serve on committees and on clean up efforts, encourage visionary thinking from our elected officials and follow the use of your tax dollars as they are used to improve our surroundings and the lives of our families.
Working in partnership citizen engagement is a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will impact the health of our communities and our county. Will you meet the challenge?
Drop by the Murray County OSU Extension Office for research based information regarding family, youth development, agriculture and community development, we’re here to serve!
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