U.S. Chamber Commerce: San Antonio a Top ‘Enterprising City’
This post has been viewed 3,311 times.
A new national report lists San Antonio among seven cities singled out as “Enterprising Cities,” citing the city’s strong civic leadership and fiscal management and its pro-business and jobs economic development strategies.
The report, “Enterprising Cities — A Force for American Prosperity,” was commissioned by the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Chamber of Commerce and released Friday morning here by the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
Download the full report here [3 MB PDF].
At the heart of the report is the underlying premise that cities with sound fiscal management are best positioned to make strategic investments that drive private sector growth. Cities burdened with legacy public sector costs are less nimble, unable to adapt to changes in the economy or support entrepreneurial innovation.
The report cites the strong business climate throughout Texas, yet San Antonio is the state’s only major city to make the list. The other cities profiled in the report include Dayton, Ohio; Irving, Texas; Memphis; Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, and Sioux Falls, S.D.
A key measure in the study is a given city’s ability to manage public sector costs in a manner that enables it to invest in ways that support private sector job growth. The report singled out California and New York as states where legacy unions, high public sector salaries and benefits — especially pensions and health care costs — siphon off disproportionately large percentages of public revenues. That leaves cities in a position where the only way to finance other investments is through tax increases.
San Antonio City Manager Sheryl Sculley, the architect of San Antonio’s current fiscal practices praised in the report, noted in recent budget discussions that continue to increase public benefits and pensions could undermine the city’s AAA bond rating and its ability to make major community investments — most evident in recent voter approval of the nearly $600 million, 2012-17 bond.
Read original articleTags: Enterprising Cities, San Antonio
