Optimism is great, but jobs are better
Source: Don Huebscher, Leader Telegram

EAU CLAIRE, WI — September 9, 2003 — We in western Wisconsin are an optimistic lot, at least according to the results just released from the “Quality of Life” survey sponsored by the Wisconsin Realtors Association.

The survey of about 800 state residents included some from the “La Crosse-Eau Claire Media Market,” which encompasses Eau Claire, Chippewa, Trempealeau, Jackson, Buffalo, Clark, Rusk, La Crosse, Monroe and Vernon counties.

Among the more interesting findings from our area is that although 46 percent of those surveyed felt things have gotten worse for their employers in the past six months (only 17 percent said things have gotten better), a whopping 84 percent said their community is on the right track and 81 percent are optimistic that things will stay the same (42 percent) or get better (39 percent).

Overall, there weren’t too many surprises. Among the survey’s conclusions: “Hold the line on taxes. Create jobs. Manage health care costs.”

Also not surprising is that one of the main concerns appears to be the job market now and into the future. Only 38 percent of those surveyed in our market are satisfied with the availability of jobs in our communities, while 55 percent are not. The numbers are similar when asked about the availability of career opportunities for young people.

This is important because the availability of jobs and careers controls everything else. If young people leave for greener pastures it affects our tax base, our labor force and the reluctance of companies to locate in an area without an ample labor supply. A summit next week at UW-Stout, “Synergy 2003: Positioning for Economic Growth,” will address this very issue, and according to the survey, this discussion couldn’t come at a better time.

But it’s not all gloom and doom. As was noted, there is a mood of optimism in the region, according to the numbers, and feeling good about your community is a key to making it better. The regional survey results also showed that about 80 percent of us feel safe in our neighborhoods and communities, a very high number, and the number of us who are satisfied with the quality of our public schools also hovers near 80 percent.

Satisfaction with quality of health care is also high in this area, although cost is an issue, particularly for those whose employers don’t pick up most or all of the cost. Satisfaction with public services also is high.

A troubling finding in the survey is that 60 percent of homeowners statewide are dissatisfied with the level of property taxes, and one of five people planning to move in the next two years “intend to do so because they cannot afford the property taxes on their current home,” the report said.

A lot has changed for the worse in the past few years, notably the job prospects for young people and a general malaise in the economy. Farmers and many manufacturers are in a slump, but there are signs in the stock market that things are starting to rebound.

Hopefully that will be the case around here. But two things we can glean from the survey is that our positive attitude can only work in our favor, and that economic development, which maybe we all took for granted during the late 1990s, has returned to the front burner as we look for companies to come here that pay living wages and entice young people to stick around.