MBJ_July13_2018

Page 1

INSIDE — MCLAUGHLIN: The manufacturing of today — Page 4 RETAIL

www.msbusiness.com

July 13, 2018 • Vo. 40 No. 28 • 24 pages

QUALITY OF LIFE

McDade’s sold to Louisiana chain; Rainbow Co-op to close — Page 2

MBJ FOCUS

Meetings & Conventions {Section begins P9}

» The MAX has become a reality in Meridian

{The Lists} » Casinos » Largest Hotels

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK {P3}

» Time passes, art doesn’t as bicentennial exhibit closes at museum

Study says Jackson making strides in delivering services By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com Jackson ranks 101st on WalletHub’s annual survey of best- and worst-run cities in the United States for 2018. The city ranked 149th in last year’s report. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said in an interview on Tuesday that he is encouraged by the survey. The city faces several major problems, including streets, water system and billing and the public school system. At 101st, its overall ranking is actually higher than several bustling municipalities in the region – Nashville, 111; Memphis, 135, and Atlanta, 137. Gulfport ranked 146th overall. The current survey covers the years 2013 to 2018. The survey issued last year covered 2010 to 2017. Lumumba, who took office on July 3, 2017, said that he is encouraged by progress that the survey reflects. He also noted that his administration “inherited” the problems with which it is dealing. “I’m blessed that I have the team that has the acumen to do the job but also the passion to do the job.” “While we are encouraged by our progress, we are not satisfied. I want to improve that quality of service ranking,” he said. The city ranks 149th (of 150) on quality of services, but its per capita spending, No. 29, raises its overall ranking to 101. “Jackson’s 29th rank in the ‘Total Budget per Capita’ section definitely reflects the fact that local authorities are managing resources

Courtesy of Paul Neely YouTube

Hundreds of millions of private sector and state and federal dollars have been invested in downtown in the past decade.

well, and it helped boost the city’s overall position,” Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst, said in an email. The Mississippi capital’s population continues to shrink, losing residents (and businesses) to other cities in the metropolitan area and elsewhere – thus shrinking its tax base and leaving it less to spend on governmental needs. The city’s population in 1990 was 196,637, compared with 166,965 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Meantime, the Jackson metropolitan sta-

tistical area, composed of Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Simpson and Copiah counties, had a population of 395,396 in 1990, compared with 586,775 in 2017. The quality of services score is derived from 35 weighted indicators in six categories – financial stability, education, health, safety, economy and infrastructure and pollution. Here is Jackson’s score in each of the six categories: » Finances: 147th. Includes Moody’s City

http://msbusiness.com/events/health-care-heroes/

See JACKSON, Page 2


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.