Category Archives: economic development

Fathers of my understanding of the Ozarks

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Harry Styron

Someone looking at my life could correctly observe that my life’s work has consisted of absorbing all I can about the history, economy and people of the Ozarks. I began this undertaking as a youngster at the Newton County Library in Neosho in about 1960, probably with a book by Vance Randolph or the Chapmans’ Indians and Archaeology of Missouri.

Much of what I have learned about life in the Ozarks has come from living and working in the Ozarks. But what I’ve learned from books and scholars has given me a mental framework for organizing what I have learned and helps me to be a better observer. Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted in Branson, economic development, Missouri, Missouri economy, Ozarks, Ozarks economy. Bookmark the permalink.

Table Rock Lake and the cost of economic activity

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Harry Styron

Kathleen O’Dell’s article about the economic impact of Table Rock Lake in today’s Springfield News-Leader, entitled “Table Rock Dam Gives Much Back to Area,” covers a lot of ground in describing the various kinds of economic activities that are related to the construction and continued existence of Table Rock Lake.

In an economic sense, is the Table Rock Lake area fit (efficient and nimble) or obese (expensive to maintain and subject to falls)? As pointed out below, the two counties most affected by Table Rock Lake have experienced the area’s lowest growth in Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted in Branson, county government, economic development, Missouri, Missouri economy, Ozarks, Ozarks economy, real estate development, Taney County, tourism, water law (streams, lakes and groundwater) and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Eureka School District loses TIF battle

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Harry Styron

School districts are the natural enemies of tax-increment financing projects (TIFs). The TIF designation of a redevelopment area limits a school district’s share of the increases in property taxes that occur in that redevelopment area, diverting what would have been the school district’s share of property taxes to paying for a portion of the developer’s cost of infrastructure.

On February 24, 2009, Missouri’s Eastern District Court of Appeals issued its opinion Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted in economic development, Missouri, Missouri economy, Missouri law, Ozarks economy, real estate development and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Calico Sunrise: watch what happens

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Harry Styron

Residents of the Calico Rock area, on the White River in north central Arkansas, are attempting to plan their future. They have created a blog called Calico Sunrise to serve as a newsletter and forum for their endeavor, which is intended to involve the input of all segments of the community.

The Calico Rock area is lovely, and it looks like a great place to live and to visit. It is similar to the Branson area in a purely physical sense–it is in the Ozarks on the White River with a railroad running alongside, there are lakes nearby, and there are wonderful bluffs and vistas and smaller streams in deep, quiet valleys. While there is some tourism there and a lot of retirees, the tourism lacks the industrial-strength tourism of Branson. In some ways, Calico Rock is what Branson might have been without Silver Dollar City and the music show industry.

I wish the people of Calico Rock well. I hope they will focus on health rather than growth, so that they can have the community they want and stay off the economic roller-coaster. To do this, they will need to look at giving their children great educations and building an economy with an export sector, rather than too heavily based on tourism.

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Posted in Branson, economic development, Ozarks economy, real estate development, tourism and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Is tourism impoverishing?

Posted on January 30, 2009 by Harry Styron

Many community leaders are jealous of the sales tax revenue and economic activity generated by tourism. They wish that their own communities had some of what Branson and other tourist towns have (the municipal revenue, the perceived business opportunities, and options for shopping, dining, entertainment and outdoor activities), but not the other stuff (the seasonal economy, the high percentage of residents who move in and move out, the number of business failures, the constant need to expand schools, the high sales taxes, the traffic snarls, the disorder of constant construction projects, etc.). Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted in Branson, economic development, Missouri, Ozarks, Ozarks economy and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
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