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View Full Version : How Joplin, MO is recovering faster than Tuscaloosa by cutting government regulations.




Nirvikalpa
04-25-2012, 11:16 PM
In Joplin, the official plan not only makes property rights a priority but clocks in at only 21 pages, compared with Tuscaloosa's 128. Joplin's plan also relied heavily on input from businesses (including through a Citizen's Advisory Recovery Team) instead of Tuscaloosa's reliance on outside consulting firms. "We need to say to our businesses, community, and to our citizens, 'If you guys want to rebuild your houses, we'll do everything we can to make it happen,'" said Joplin City Council member William Scearce in an interview.

Instead of encouraging businesses to rebuild as quickly as possible, Tuscaloosa enforced restrictive zoning rules and building codes that raised costs—prohibitively, in some cases. John Carney, owner of Express Oil Change, which was annihilated by the storm, estimates that the city's delays and regulation will cost him nearly $100,000. And trying to follow the rules often yielded mountains of red tape, as the city rejected businesses' proposals one after another.

"It's just been a hodgepodge," says Mr. Carney. "We've gotten so many mixed signals from the get go. The plans have been ever-changing." Boulevard Salon owner Tommy Metrock, one of the few business owners to rebuild on Tuscaloosa's main thoroughfare, McFarland Boulevard, says the restrictions created "chaos" as people put their livelihoods on hold while the city planned.

Joplin took a dramatically different approach. According to interviews with local business owners, right after disaster struck the city council formally and informally rolled back existing regulations, liberally waving licensing and zoning mandates. It even resisted the temptation to make "safe rooms" a condition of rebuilding.

Entire article here (http://mercatus.org/expert_commentary/tornado-recovery-how-joplin-beating-tuscaloosa). Worth the read!

pauljmccain
04-26-2012, 12:14 AM
I'm in St. Louis and have driven down to Joplin to help out twice.

After the initial "send the troops in" period, it has been a completely private rebuilding. Thousands upon thousands of volunteers have poured in over the past year. The federal government actually cut off funding because the city government wasn't working fast enough. The entire city has been essentially picked up by a couple private insurance companies, Red Cross, and thousands of volunteers.

Just as RP says, people aren't going to just die on the street without Medicare. And cities won't just be left in ruins without FEMA.

Nirvikalpa
04-26-2012, 12:22 AM
I went to Joplin with the Red Cross 3 days after it occurred, so I definitely know what you mean. It was awesome to see what I was blessed to see. I counted over 20 charities there within 2 days, even some international charities.

rockerrockstar
04-26-2012, 12:26 AM
Wow it is interesting to see how well that worked. Wow now I wonder what impact not having the regulations will have on safety of the houses/buildings. Anyways, it is good they got the rebuilding done. It should set a good example of what to do for others.

Austrian Econ Disciple
04-26-2012, 03:13 AM
Wow it is interesting to see how well that worked. Wow now I wonder what impact not having the regulations will have on safety of the houses/buildings. Anyways, it is good they got the rebuilding done. It should set a good example of what to do for others.

Most people generally don't want a building that is going to fall and kill themselves as well as their customers. The regulations were never about safety, they were always about creating additional barriers to keep out competition. Always have been, always will be. As well it sends a message to the community, that your local politburo is in charge of you, yours, and everything else and you'll damn well know it. Seeking permission to build on your own land is outright graft.