The Northeast Georgia Regional Commission hosted its quarterly County Managers Roundtable on May 5th, 2021 at the Springfield Suites in downtown Athens, joined by Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 (based in Asheville). During his presentation, Minicozzi explained how local governments (using GIS mapping software) can perform an “Economic MRI” on their community to determine if their tax base is sustainable and fiscally sound. The presentation explored case studies from around the country and how to improve local tax revenue. Minicozzi also illustrated how Urban3’s mapping work across the country has shown that historic downtowns create the best deal for taxpayers while the big box stores, fulfillment centers, and large single-family subdivisions often consume more public resources than they pay in taxes. He encouraged local governments to “do the math” by analyzing the tax value by acre in downtowns compared to the tax value by acre in big box stores.
A recording of the presentation is available now on the NEGRC_PGS YouTube Channel. For GIS mapping questions, contact Mark Beatty, NEGRC Director of Planning and Government Services; for questions about the quarterly County Managers Roundtables, contact Joyce Okoth, NEGRC Program Assistant.
