Survey Identifies Main Factors That Shape Decisions of Where to Live
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STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Amazon HQ2 site selection is in "advanced talks" ... a major railroad may ditch its Atlanta HQ relocation plan … and a bag of poop was thrown at an Upstate N.Y. mayor.
Good morning, it’s Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. Tomorrow is Election Day in case you didn’t know. Leading Route Fifty’s state and local government news roundup today is non-election news, but something that takes the temperature of the nation in a different way. But scroll down for more news from places like Crystal City, Virginia; Shelby County, Tennessee; and Modesto, California.
FINANCE | The fourth American Workers Survey, conducted in September for Prudential Financial by Morning Consult was released Monday and “found that American workers believe the business community is among the best-suited to provide the financing needed to help their communities thrive—with small businesses and large employers ranking ahead of state government, individual community members and federal government,” according to an announcement. “Only local government ranked higher.” Looking more closely at the survey’s findings regarding the considerations that are top of mind for deciding where to live, “[c]ost of living ranks higher than any other factor in determining where workers would move as well as where workers currently live,” followed by public safety, jobs and economy, weather and climate, proximity to family, quality of schools, “it’s where I grew up” and culture. [Prudential Financial]
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | Amazon.com, Inc.’s closely watched second-headquarters search-selection process produced plenty of sparks in recent days following a leak to The Washington Post—owned by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos—that the company has “held advanced discussions” over the possible naming of Crystal City in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., as the site for HQ2. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that “late-stage talks” are underway regarding the bids for “Crystal City, Dallas and New York City.” Amazon’s HQ2 selection announcement is anticipated after the midterm elections. [The Washington Post; The Wall Street Journal] … In other corporate headquarters news, this time involving one of the nation’s largest railroads: Norfolk Southern Corp. chairman, president and CEO says that if the Atlanta City Council doesn’t approve a “complicated and controversial development deal” for “the Gulch” that’s on its Monday agenda, the railroad wouldn’t move its headquarters to Georgia’s largest city. [Atlanta Business Chronicle; The Virginian-Pilot]
PUBLIC MEETINGS | During a tense budget workshop in Hudson, New York on Friday, “a man walked in and threw a clear plastic bag containing what is believed to be dog feces” at Mayor Rick Rector. [Times Union]
PUBLIC HEALTH | According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there’s been a 0.3 percent increase in Oklahoma parents seeking vaccination exemptions between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years. The state’s 92.6 percent vaccination rate currently lags behind the national average of 94.3 percent. [The Tulsa World]
CORRECTIONS | Connecting jailed inmates with families and loved ones through prison telephone services can be expensive, but “private companies aren’t alone in commercializing inmate calls.” In fact, “in exchange for granting monopoly rights to operate telecommunications inside a jail or prison system, local governments typically take a portion of the revenue collected off each call, in what’s known as a commission fee.’” That includes Shelby County, Tennessee. [Memphis Commercial Appeal]
WORKFORCE | In Modesto, California, the Service Employees International Local 521 expects 500-700 social service employees working for Stanislaus County to go on strike today due to “an unfair labor practices claim.” The county says it is aware of the labor action and cautioned that “non-essential services may be interrupted if employees are not on the job.” [Modesto Bee]
INFRASTRUCTURE | Elon Musk on Friday showed off the Boring Co.’s “disturbingly long” two-mile proof-of-concept tunnel under Hawthorne, California and plans to allow the public to see transport tube on Dec. 10. [The Verge; @elonmusk] … At a site nestled between a cemetery and the 134 Freeway near Burbank, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has been pouring concrete for a massive underground reservoir the size of four football fields that will hold 100 million gallons of drinking water for the nation’s second-largest city. [LAist / KPCC] … A project between the city of Snohomish, Washington and the Tulalip Tribe will remove a 60-foot-wide concrete dam on the Pilchuck River, which would no longer block spawning fish like salmon and steelhead from going upstream. [Everett Herald]
Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Government Executive’s Route Fifty and is based in Seattle.
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