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October 29, 2007
Dear Friends,
Last week I announced our campaign’s offering of a community initiative for strengthening every neighborhood called Fort Wayne: A City of Neighbors. Funded entirely by outside private investment and revenue generation, City of Neighbors is a market-driven solution that helps Fort Wayne neighborhoods, and sustains itself without tax dollars.
From Harrison Square to the FWCS $500+ Million proposed budget and increased property taxes, residents are becoming increasingly cynical and believe their opinions matter little to their elected representatives. The FWCS Remonstrance powerfully demonstrated the desire of the people to be heard. City of Neighbors further empowers Fort Wayne citizens to communicate their views within their own neighborhood and with their elected officials. This program provides an all-too-often ‘voiceless’ public with tools to effect change.
How It Works
City of Neighbors is a non-profit community initiative that facilitates communication within local neighborhoods and improves the City's ability to respond to concerns at the neighborhood level.
The core of the project is a network of interactive neighborhood websites. Every residential community in Fort Wayne receives a free website customized specifically for its members. Citizens access their neighborhood site for up-to-date information relevant to their area.
How often has your family wondered: When is Recycling Week? Is this Leaf Pickup Week? Are registered sex offenders living nearby? Who are my elected officials and how do I contact them? Where do I go to vote? Whom do I contact to fix that pothole or to report a non-functioning streetlight? City of Neighbors will provide answers to these questions and more in one convenient location.
Other features will include online posting of neighborhood covenants and by-laws, newsletters, discussion forums for residents and board members, and free classified ads for Fort Wayne residents.
Revenue Sharing: Market-Driven Solutions
After implementing the website network, the revenue generation phase will be integrated. Area businesses underwrite the City of Neighbors Project by participating in its advertising program. Several opportunities will be available depending upon each business’ budget and needs.
City of Neighbors generates revenue that is reinvested directly into Fort Wayne neighborhoods as follows:
- Each association receives a pro-rata share of 50% of all income generated by its own members. The more an association promotes participation to its members, the more revenue it receives.
- Every association receives a co-equal share of 25% of all revenue generated by the program - more active groups assist those communities with limited Internet access and home computer use.
- The remaining 25% will be used to offset program costs including training, administration, and software development. A portion of these funds will provide direct grants to neighborhoods needing it most.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of every business-advertising dollar goes directly back into the community at the neighborhood level. Of a business’ $1000 endowment for advertising with this program, $750 is paid directly to neighborhood associations. More importantly, neighborhood residents, rather than government officials, decide how the money will best be spent within their community. They may choose to add or improve a playground, offset association expenses, or reduce their neighborhood’s association fees. The bottom line is that it will be their decision.
Assuming 413 Fort Wayne residential communities, revenue generation of $1,000,000 will result in each association’s receiving $1816* on average each year. Such revenue will have a significant impact in local communities.
Imagine what Kekionga Shores residents in southwest Fort Wayne could do to improve their own neighborhood with $1816 each year. How will Crown Colony residents in southeast Fort Wayne choose to spend their own revenue? Investing $750,000 directly into local neighborhoods will have a profound effect on the entire community. Best of all, City of Neighbors is a market-driven solution and will sustain itself without tax dollars.
City of Neighbors empowers area businesses to invest some advertising dollars into a program that returns funds directly to the community. National companies like Wal-Mart, Kroger, and Meijer can be "good neighbors" by advertising here. This program provides an opportunity to bring in outside advertising dollars to reinvest directly in Fort Wayne’s neighborhoods.
The time has come for us to provide citizens with the tools to communicate with their government more effectively. This great city belongs to all of us. The people are speaking and we must hear them.
City of Neighbors will empower local residents to hold elected officials more accountable. It strengthens your neighborhood and mine and therefore the entire City of Fort Wayne. Let us return government to its proper role: service to the community for the benefit of all.
Sincerely,
* Assumes equal participation by every neighborhood. More active associations will earn more; less active neighborhoods will earn less.
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