What does the community actually get?

Communities have heard promises before. The question is which commitments are enforceable and which are goodwill that fades after the ribbon cutting.

• Common commitments include workforce training partnerships, STEM and school programs, road and utility improvements, park and broadband contributions, and emergency services support.
• Commitments that appear in a signed agreement with reporting requirements are far more likely to be delivered than those announced in a press release.
• Community benefit agreements are increasingly standard for large industrial projects in the United States.
• Ongoing engagement — a named community liaison, published contact, periodic public reporting — is what maintains trust after year one.

• Engage the community early, before the site is locked in.
• Negotiate a written community benefits agreement with measurable commitments.
• Name a local point of contact who answers the phone.
• Report annually in public on employment, tax payments, water use and community commitments.
• Fund training pipelines that outlast the construction phase.

• Community benefits agreements and meeting records

  Source: Local governments

• Economic development reporting

  Source: Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development

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