Phil Hardwick

What’s in a name? A lot if your town’s name is Sturgis. (photo courtesy Steve Corbitt) During the weekend of August 15-16, 2009 thousands of motorcyclists (bikers) descended on towns named Sturgis. The Grandaddy of course is Sturgis, South Dakota where bikers congragate for a full week of activities. Statistics are not in yet for this year, but in 2008 there 400,000 in attendance, 66 marriage licenses issued, $10.45 million in taxable sales, $418,932 South Dakota sales taxes collected, $217,213 Sturgis city sales taxes collected and 543 tons of garbage hauled. The event has grown so big that other towns in the U.S. named Sturgis have been having there own biker festivals during the same weekend. More… In Sturgis, Mississippi over 850 bikers pre-registered for the event, and many more showed up without being pre-registered. Sturgis Mayor Walter Turner said the event is great for the city and the bikers and families are welcome. In advance of the even city crews perfor

Read two new reports from EPA's Smart Growth Program and the Partnership for Sustainable Communities: * Federal Resources for Sustainable Rural Communities provides information on funding and technical assistance opportunities available from HUD, DOT, EPA, and USDA, and examples of how rural communities across the country have put these opportunities into action. * Three Years of Helping Communities Achieve Their Visions for Growth and Prosperity is the Partnership for Sustainable Communities' third-year anniversary report. It includes case studies on Bridgeport, CT; Ranson and Charles Town, WV; Montgomery, AL; Cincinnati, OH; Moline, IL; Denver, CO; and Wellpinit, WA. Find these reports at http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/index.htm

Congratulations on being chosen to lead your organization in the coming year.  In order to have the most successful year as leader of a board of directors of a nonprofit or other organization it would be useful to understand why the members of the board are serving.  These are some thoughts on what you as the incoming leader might consider. One of the more basic human emotional needs is to belong to a group.  The extent to which they feel that they belong to your group will be a factor in determining the success of your year of leadership.  So how do you find out what your members need?  Well, why not just call and ask them?  Or better yet, simply sit down for a one-on-one meeting.  Basically, what you want to find out is why they are serving on the board.  Here are some examples of questions or comments that might be appropriate in such a conversation: 1.  What led you to accept (or volunteer) for a position on this board? 2.  What would you like to see the organi

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a Mississippi Economic Development Council (MEDC) seminar held at the Community Development Foundation's (CDF) new headquarters in Tupelo.  During the Q & A session, David Rumbarger, President and CEO of the CDF, was asked what he considered to be the keys to success of CDF, which is considered one of the premiere economic development organizations in the United States. Without hesitation, he answered, "Planning, goal-setting and execution." We all seem to be looking for secrets to success in economic development, but it really comes down to what Rumbarger said. It reminds of what another business leader once told me about his company's "secret" to success.  His version was "Plan - Do - Check - Adjust." Another thing I could not help but notice at that meeting in the CDF boardroom was the prominent poster-sized item at the front of the room.  It was a list of the CDF's goals for the current

Most of the nation’s rural counties lost population from 2010 to 2011, according to an article by Bill Bishop in The Daily Yonder .  Most of the loss was due to outmigration. Among the 50 counties with the most population gains were Lee County, Mississippi, which came in at number 26 (gained 1,109), and Lafayette County, Mississippi, which came in at number 31 (gained 956).  Number One on the list of population gainers was Harnett County, NC, with a gain of 3,467 persons. Mississippi counties that made the list of 50 counties that lost the most population were Washington County, which came in at number 7 (loss 644), Warren County at number 20 (loss 457) and Leflore County at number 26 (loss 432).  Below is a map from the above-referenced article and a table listing the 50 gainers and losers.  

Mississippi Senate News Release Thursday, April 26, 2012 For Immediate Release Contact Senator Kenneth Wayne Jones at 601-359-3232 or kjones@senate.ms.gov      District 21 Senator Kenneth Wayne Jones was elected this week Chairman of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus for the 2012-14 term.      Jones had served as Interim Chairman of the Caucus from early March 2012 until being officially elected on Wednesday, April 25, 2012.      Jones plans to elevate the Caucus’ profile by not only dealing with state political issues, but involving local government officials from each member’s districts in legislative decisions that might affect them.      “I feel that under my direction, we will advocate for justice and equality in the interest of all who deserve fair representation,” Senator Jones said. “I am extremely humbled that the members had the confidence in me to serve as their chairman.”       The Legislative Black Caucus is the voice of minority law

What's your vision for your community's future? Join the Smart Growth Network in a national conversation on how neighborhoods and regions could be planned, designed, and developed to meet the needs of current and future generations. A multidisciplinary review team will select 20 to 40 papers on this topic to be published in a compendium for the 2013 New Partners for Smart Growth conference. Submitted papers must be received by June 30, 2012. Here's the link with all the details: http://www.smartgrowth.org/nationalconversation/

The Mississippi Municipal League recently surveyed 50 cities in Mississippi regarding their source of revenue. In an article by Shari Veazey published in the current (Vol.60. No. 4) issue of Mississippi Municipalities magazine , here is a list of sources or revenues and the percentages: 31%….. Sales Tax 24%….. Property Tax 17%….. Miscellaneous 14%….. intergovernmental Revenue 8%…… Franchise fees, license and permits 6%…… Fines and Forfeitures This particular issue of Mississippi Municipalities Magazine is entitled How Mississippi Cities Work . I recommend it highly for anyone who wants to better understand the subject.