NRP and you and me
The Star-Trib has an interesting article today about the future of NRP funding. NRP, as some of my not so many readers may know, was a program started by the state some years back. It funnels property tax revenues into a pot of money distributed to neighborhood organizations, who can do with it as they please. In concept, the idea is that neighborhood residents decide how to spend the state's money, not politicians. Democracy!
Now I don't know much about how effective the program has been. Our neighborhood association, FNA, has done some research on crime in the area and used the money for a variety of housing related improvements, offering low cost home loans for renovations. It was interesting to me that two potential research subjects in my academic future, Eat Street and Mercado Central, were funded by NRP.
The criticism in the article is that residents essentially spend the money too frivolously. Rather than addressing core issues, like public safety or library funding, they're a little too fond of bigger projects (like food courts). There may be a point there. At the same time, I'd hate to see the city go back to only concentrating on those basic needs. To use a metaphor, we certainly need food on the table, but sometimes it's nice to go get our hair done, too. Healthy neighborhoods find a good balance between the two.