Quick primer: After the civil rights struggle white people fled Birmingham, AL in two ways...
IS BIRMINGHAM SUGAR DADDY FOR OUR RICH SUBURBS?
OCTOBER 30, 2017 DAVID SHER
It’s time for folks in the suburbs to show our appreciation for Birmingham.
There’s a tendency to think that our suburbs are independent and could operate fine by themselves.
Depressingly, I receive feedback from time to time from some of my over-the-mountain friends that say they are happy with their independent suburban life and want nothing to do with our core city.
They boast that Mountain Brook, Homewood, Hoover, and Vestavia Hills are strong financially and they have no interest in collaborating with Birmingham or any other municipality.
However, I think it’s important to understand why some Birmingham suburbs have discretionary dollars.
The city of Birmingham pays for all big ticket items.
My favorite example is the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. You may think the Botanical Gardens is located in Mountain Brook and it is certainly well used by the folks who live nearby, but the Gardens reside within the Birmingham city limits and are heavily funded by the City.
We suburbanites enjoy Railroad Park and Regions Field, but Birmingham invested $8 millions to build Railroad Park and $64 million to develop Regions Field. No other municipality paid a penny.
According to the City of Birmingham budget of 2017, the City of Birmingham budgeted the following. This is a list of a few. (Click here for the entire budget)
You also may want to remind me of the great philanthropy that comes from the suburbs–but that is also true of other cities where a broader geography of the tax payers share costs.
Birmingham represents less than 1/3’d of the population of Jefferson County and less than 1/5th of our metro seven county area–but does all the heavy lifting.
Cities like Nashville, Louisville, and Jacksonville have county/city governments so everyone shares the taxes. Here in Jefferson County, Birmingham pays for all the above amenities and the 34 other cities pay nothing.
No wonder our richer suburban governments can afford good schools, newly paved roads, and superior government services.
What would Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia Hills or Mountain Brook be without an airport or the other quality of life amenities funded by Birmingham?
Our City of Birmingham has responsibly and unselfishly supported sports, the arts, and other regional amenities–but few people seem to appreciate it.
Birmingham has some of the greatest suburbs in the world. I should know–I live in Vestavia Hills.
But pitting the City of Birmingham with our suburbs is not helpful.
Vestavia Hills would not remain great for long if Birmingham were to implode.
No one wants to be a suburb to nowhere!
We need to find ways to collaborate with one other.
David Sher is Co-Founder of AmSher Compassionate Collections. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).
- Physically moved out of the city
- Voted their area out of the city and created a new jurisdiction without having to physically move.
IS BIRMINGHAM SUGAR DADDY FOR OUR RICH SUBURBS?
OCTOBER 30, 2017 DAVID SHER
It’s time for folks in the suburbs to show our appreciation for Birmingham.There’s a tendency to think that our suburbs are independent and could operate fine by themselves.
Depressingly, I receive feedback from time to time from some of my over-the-mountain friends that say they are happy with their independent suburban life and want nothing to do with our core city.
They boast that Mountain Brook, Homewood, Hoover, and Vestavia Hills are strong financially and they have no interest in collaborating with Birmingham or any other municipality.
However, I think it’s important to understand why some Birmingham suburbs have discretionary dollars.
The city of Birmingham pays for all big ticket items.
My favorite example is the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. You may think the Botanical Gardens is located in Mountain Brook and it is certainly well used by the folks who live nearby, but the Gardens reside within the Birmingham city limits and are heavily funded by the City.
We suburbanites enjoy Railroad Park and Regions Field, but Birmingham invested $8 millions to build Railroad Park and $64 million to develop Regions Field. No other municipality paid a penny.
According to the City of Birmingham budget of 2017, the City of Birmingham budgeted the following. This is a list of a few. (Click here for the entire budget)
- Museum of Art $3,904,523
- Birmingham Zoo $2,080,000
- Vulcan Park $476,500
- Railroad Park $1,057,280
- McWane Center $159,104
- Sloss Furnace $1,194,447
- Botanical Garden $100,000
- UAB Football $500,000
- Birmingham Bowl $550,000
- Southern Museum of Flight $830,687
- Indy Racing League $350,000
- Ruffner Mountain $200,000
- Rickwood Field $350,000
- World Games $500,000
- Crossplex $3,904,523
- Airport $4,000,000
You also may want to remind me of the great philanthropy that comes from the suburbs–but that is also true of other cities where a broader geography of the tax payers share costs.
Birmingham represents less than 1/3’d of the population of Jefferson County and less than 1/5th of our metro seven county area–but does all the heavy lifting.
Cities like Nashville, Louisville, and Jacksonville have county/city governments so everyone shares the taxes. Here in Jefferson County, Birmingham pays for all the above amenities and the 34 other cities pay nothing.
No wonder our richer suburban governments can afford good schools, newly paved roads, and superior government services.
What would Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia Hills or Mountain Brook be without an airport or the other quality of life amenities funded by Birmingham?
Our City of Birmingham has responsibly and unselfishly supported sports, the arts, and other regional amenities–but few people seem to appreciate it.
Birmingham has some of the greatest suburbs in the world. I should know–I live in Vestavia Hills.
But pitting the City of Birmingham with our suburbs is not helpful.
Vestavia Hills would not remain great for long if Birmingham were to implode.
No one wants to be a suburb to nowhere!
We need to find ways to collaborate with one other.
David Sher is Co-Founder of AmSher Compassionate Collections. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).
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Few times have I seen a white dude throw the gauntlet like that
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Few times have I seen a white dude throw the gauntlet like that
- 73.4% Black/African American
- 22.3% White
- 0.2% Native American
- 1.0% Asian
- 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
- 1.0% Two or more races
- 2.1% Other races
- 3.6% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Map of racial distribution in Birmingham, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: White, Black, Asian, Hispanic or Other (yellow)
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alot of places give taxes to alot of places where shyt makes no sense!!!
....actually one of my favorite threads that didn't get play when originally posted.
