2019 eCities Honored Communities

UM-Dearborn’s iLabs’ eCities research recognizes City of Hillsdale for supporting business in their community

(DEARBORN), October 23, 2019 – City of Hillsdale is one of five communities across the state of Michigan to have been identified for the strategies they employ to foster entrepreneurial growth and economic development, according to the annual eCities study. The study, conducted by iLabs, University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Center for Innovation Research, identified the cities of Hillsdale, Houghton, Saginaw, Tecumseh, and Hartland Township as 2019 eCities Honored Communities for their successes and efforts in contributing to Michigan’s growth.

 “The City staff is very excited to receive this award for the third time in the last four years! We have a dedicated staff that is always looking at ways to improve the business climate in our community. Whether it’s by working with current businesses to address issues or seeking out new businesses to locate here, everything we do is focused on demonstrating that Hillsdale is Open for Business,” said City Manager Mackie.

A cornerstone to Hillsdale’s success are the programs established by the City’s Tax Increment Finance Authority (TIFA) to promote economic and business development in the downtown. Over the last five years, TIFA has created and implemented several new programs in addition to the Facade Improvement Program. These programs are a mix of one-to-one matching grants and forgivable loans, which encourage and make it possible for small businesses to locate and/or expand in Hillsdale where Family, Tradition, and Opportunity are a priority.

The eCities study analyzed publicly available data from 277 communities from 54 counties in Michigan. Researchers focused on the five-year changes in property values, community assets, and tax rates, which can demonstrate the growth, investments, and cost of doing business within the community. For example, over the five-year period of 2014-2018, these communities increased their capital assets by an average of 2.25 percent per year by investments such as road and parking structure improvements, water main and streetscape upgrades, as well as police, fire, and computer equipment, while property tax rates increased by less than 1 percent on average per year.

“While accounting for only about 15 percent of the cities and townships in Michigan, the 277 communities analyzed are home to 70 percent of the population and 85 percent of the state’s commercial property,” said Tim Davis, the College of Business’ assistant dean for student engagement and success. “By analyzing these high-performing communities, our goal is to showcase what cities and townships are doing to spur growth and how we can continue to support their efforts in developing business and encouraging entrepreneurs.”

The communities were acknowledged Tuesday, October 22 during the 2019 eCities recognition event, in which this year’s research findings were discussed and the strategies and success stories of the participating communities celebrated.

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About University of Michigan-Dearborn

Founded in 1959 with a gift of just over 200 acres of land and $6.5 million from the Ford Motor Company, University of Michigan-Dearborn is a metropolitan university serving southeastern Michigan, committed to excellence rooted in strong academics, innovative research and programming and civic engagement. The university has 9,400 students pursuing more than 100 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degrees in liberal arts and sciences, engineering, business, education and health programs. A top-ranked university with faculty devoted to teaching and students committed to achievement, UM-Dearborn is shaped by its history of partnering with local leaders and communities, and is committed to finding solutions for the challenges that face the region.

LINKS:

eCities homepage:

http://www.umdilabs.com/ecities

List of all four-star communities:

http://umdilabs.com/sites/default/files/2019%204-Star%20Communities.pdf

List of all five-star communities:

http://umdilabs.com/sites/default/files/2019%205-Star%20Communities.pdf

CONTACTS:

Beth Marmarelli

bethmar@umich.edu/313-593-5542