Free or Municipally Subsidized Child Care for Residents

This perhaps is the worst idea, yet, peppered with pipe dreams and naïveté. Some already pay way more in taxes - unfairly so - that are already earmarked for programs that already exist to address the concerns described here. It’s corruption, elites, corporations, and government policy makers that are what is getting in the way of why we do not have this kind of program in place already. That said, get petitions going and try to get it into law (e.g. raise taxes to fund school programs that would be guaranteed to be funded into perpetuity) versus a one-time shot in the arm. Or, just tear down the current system and start over.

Yes - this allows parents to hold down full time employment! We need workers!

For people who want to improve their lives, We should take away the barriers that prevent people from doing so. Childcare is one of those barriers, along with training and education. Counseling might help also. We will all benefit from having more productive people.

Even though $250 million is a large sum of money, it is only a fraction of what the City of St. Louis needs to change its trajectory to one of growth from its historic pattern of decline. Thus, if we are going to turn this city around, we need to multiply our resources by using capital to attract more capital. If we simply spend the money on some other use, no matter how great or important it is, once that money is gone, it is gone, and we will no longer have it as a lifeline to help generate growth for generations to come. In May, I moderated a panel discussion on behalf of the St. Louis chapter of the American Planning Association to discuss revolving loan programs with leaders from Detroit, Cincinnati and Dallas/Grow America (formerly NDC). Here is a link to watch the panel discussion: https://lnkd.in/gYf7nvFn One misconception about revolving loan programs is that the these funds are strictly designed to provide loans to developers or corporate interests. That is often not the model followed by leading cities like the ones mentioned above. The model varies for each city, and St. Louis is free to mimic another city, or create their own model, but in Cincinnati, for example, they created a civic entity called 3CDC who manages the fund, and lends money to their own redevelopment projects. A similar example for St. Louis would be if the city-managed St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) had a loan fund, went into targeted areas, acquired and redeveloped properties, serving as a catalyst for other developers to develop around the area, thus kicking off a wave of growth. Detroit, Dallas and others have other programs, some focused on entrepreneurs and small businesses, some focused on housing, and other cities have revolving loan funds where they pay for things like utility upgrades, but they loan the money to the utility and require repayment with interest from the proceeds of utility bills. One of the most important factors in any revolving loan program, however, is creating leverage. In Cincinnati, they attracted private capital into that fund managed by 3CDC, with at least half of the fund consisting of private capital (all contributed by corporations with headquarters in Cincinnati, who are vested in the future of the city). Raising a total of $200 million, they then recycled it in loan after loan, leading to a total of over $600 million in loans in 20 years, which resulted in more than $1.7 billion in development, raising millions of dollars of additional taxes annually, which then helps the city to provide needed services to the entire city.

I believe this is a very good way to help not just parents, but most importantly the children in our community. This is the KEY factor, the children. Tied in with economic development investments, creating jobs for families can have generational impact. But one very important stipulation must be citizens proof of holding a job, this combination is what has the greatest and most positive impact on families.....