Innovations in Community Wealth Policy

1. Innovations in Community Wealth Policy May 29, 2014Denver, Colorado Steve Dubb Research Director The Democracy Collaborative steve@democracycollaborative.org

2. Who We Are Promote innovations in community economic development that enhance democratic life RESEARCH Write reports on anchors, public enterprise, community wealth building, green economy, etc. FIELD BUILDING Participate in anchor institution task force, metrics development, webinars, education & training, our Community-Wealth.org web information portal, etc. • ADVISORY • Develop community wealth building strategies linked to “eds and meds” & local philanthropy: • Cleveland, OH • Atlanta, GA • Washington, DC • Pittsburgh, PA • Amarillo, TX

3. What is the Prevailing EconomicDevelopment Approach? • Some of its characteristics and elements include: • Tax beaks to entice corporations to relocate ($80B) • Workforce training not linked to actual jobs ($37B) • Regional trickle down strategies that do not reach low- and moderate-income neighborhoods • Low-wage job creation, often without benefits • Little opportunity for ex-offenders, others facing barriers • Gentrification and dispersal of traditional residents • “Throwaway cities” and their infrastructure • Privatization of publicly owned goods

4. What is Community Wealth Building? • emphasizes democratization of wealth • focuses on place & local economy • promotes broader ownership of capital • anchors jobs locally • stops the leakage of dollars from communities • supports individual & family wealth building • reinforces stewardship over capital • generates revenues to finance public services • leverages anchor institutions for local benefit • contributes to local economic stability • total cost accounting of economic decisions

5. Continuum of Wealth-Building StrategiesBROADENING OWNERSHIP OVER ASSETS AND CAPITAL

6. Rebuilding America’s Communities(Democracy Collaborative, 2010)

7. Community Wealth Building Policy

8. How we benefitted from employee ownership between 2002 and 2010 (Source: NCEO 2013)

9. Employee ownership center– cost per job vs. conventional methods (Source OEOC 2012)

10. Putting the Pieces Together • Create worker. and community owned businesses that provide living wage jobs, anchor wealth, and build a local tax base that supports public pensions and other needed services • Use public procurement and contracts to provide a support economic ecosystem • Finance the effort by redirecting conventional economic development tools (TIF, etc.) to community-supported ends City Government Community Groups Progressive Policy Building a New Alliance Key Components

11. Local Government

12. City contracts to local businesses foster local business development, thereby increasing tax collections from those businesses Purchasing locally creates more jobs, thereby reducing social service costs, while also increasing income of (and therefore tax payments collected from) local residents How Local Purchasing Can Help

13. The price paid is not the only cost of procurement If local government pays a little less, but, in so doing, reduces the taxes it collects and raises the cost of its social service expenditures, then it has achieved a false savings Rethinking city contracting with “total cost accounting” in mind is not just smart accounting, but a vital step in building a vibrant local economy Key Concept: “Least Total Cost”

14. Washington, DC: 50 percent of expendable budget (not including construction, personnel) is prioritized for local “certified business enterprises” Montgomery County, Maryland: On smaller contracts (roughly $250 million in total spending), the County is able to target contracts to support local small business. At present, 36 percent of total contracts go to local small business, well above the 20 percent required by law. Policy Examples: Washington DC region

15. City of Cleveland has a policy that favors contracts for LPE (Local Producers) and SUBE (Sustainable Businesses), giving up to a 2% bid discount for each designation (maximum total discount of 4%) 146 subcontractors and 41 prime contractors that qualified under this ordinance obtained City contracts in 2012 2012 business volume: $85 million Policy Example: Cleveland, Ohio

16. “Over 80% of businesses in our County are small business ... We’ve unbundled large contracts. We had large custodial services contracts – all my public buildings (250 buildings) were serviced by two companies. Now we have contracts for five regions with local opportunities. It is more contractual management on our part, but it is a bigger benefit for the local business community.” Metro DC local government procurement director Making It Happen

17. Evergreen Cooperatives

18. Governance Structure Individual Co-op Boards

19. Evergreen Cooperativesfrom the City perspective (1) “HAVE WE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT TELLING RESIDENTS OF POOR COMMUNITIES, WHY DON'T WE MAKE YOU THE EMPLOYER” - Ron Sims Source: David Ebersole, City of Cleveland, Dept. of Economic Development, 2012

20. Evergreen: City perspective (2) Source: David Ebersole, City of Cleveland, Dept. of Economic Development, 2012

21. Evergreen: City perspective (3) Source: David Ebersole, City of Cleveland, Dept. of Economic Development, 2012

22. Project Site:10 Acres, Approx. 60 Parcels City owned approx. 40 parcels (7 acres) Remaining Parcels: 4 Occupied Houses 2 Business Owners Many Vacant Parcels Worked w/ HUD & local CDC to create a Relocation Plan 3 Owners – purchased new home R. Atkins – senior living, purchased new personal items Business owners – 1031 Swap Vacant Parcels Used Land Bank for acquisition Green City Growers Land Assembly Source: David Ebersole, City of Cleveland, Dept. of Economic Development, 2012

23. Community wealth across the nation First business: large-scale greenhouse to grow and process lettuce (early 2015) First business: stormwater management maintenance and monitoring (late 2014) Community Wealth Building Initiative

24. Community wealth in Indian Country Multi-year collaboration with Native American communities in four communities (2 urban, 2 rural) to build and retain wealth by developing effective strategies that foster ownership of enterprise, increase access to local assets, and create and anchor jobs locally

25. Mayor Jones’ Anti-Poverty Agenda ($3.3M+ initiative,announced April 15, 2014) • $1 million for Affordable Housing Trust Fund • $436,000 for City Center for Workforce Innovation • $255,000 for wrap-around services (child care, etc.) • $200,000 for public housing service navigators • $357,000 for education improvements • $350,000 for bus rapid transit line planning • $300,000 for new Office of Community Wealth Building • $450,000 for job creation for low-income residents, including $150,000 in social enterprise development

26. Policies to Support Co-ops and Employee Ownership • Legal recognition of worker and multi-stakeholder cooperatives • Linked deposits to finance conversions • Business succession program to encourage “baby boom” firm owners to sell to their employees • Funding for an employee ownership center • Right of first refusal • Tax credits for co-op investments • Expanding small business offices to serve co-ops • Investment in “Evergreen” type initiatives

27. Additional Community Wealth Building Policies • Community benefit legislation • Urban agriculture overlay zoning • Support for asset building coalitions • Partnering with local CDFIs on loan funds • Land banking • Public ownership of local utilities (as in Boulder) • Responsible banking • Pension fund investment in local projects • Public bank • Office of Community Wealth Building

28. Thank you! For more information: www.community-wealth.org Steve Dubb Research Director Democracy Collaborative steve@democracycollaborative.org