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Regular Council Minutes 4-26-04 Page 2 are communities doing in northeast Ohio-so we conducted (2 years ago) a very extensive survey on what communities are doing in the area of local economic development efforts. This gave us a benchmark to measure other communities as they came before us to determine whether they were in fact exeinplary. Since that time, we have had 21 communities out of over 200 in northeast Ohio that have been recognized as Business Friendly Communities. Those communities have stood the test of ineasuring against the standards that we have established and stand out as those that have been doing a particularly good job. Mr. McClung said I am very pleased to be here tonight to tell you that one of those 21 is Mayfield Village. Not only that; it is the smallest of the 21. The significance of that is that despite the fact that you haven't had the resources of having a full-time Economic Development Director, you haven't had the resources that are available to many other communities; yet, you have been able to do what many, many other communities have not been able to do. From my own personal view; my own personal experience, I have seen how Mayfield Village has, in a very planned and orderly fashion, developed a community that has year after year been considered by Cleveland Magazine as one of the finest communities in the County. A community that is among the tops to live in. And you have done that by maintaining a very positive balance; a balance which has put you among the very lowest in property tax rate, among the very lowest in income tax rate. I don't think people of the community realize the jewel that they have. I have had an opportunity to see what northeast Ohio has to offer and believe me, if ever there is a community that is deserving to be treated as a Business Friendly Community, it is Mayfield Village. So I am very, very pleased to present to your Mayor and, I think particularly to your Finance Director and to your Economic Development Director-and since he is carrying two titles, I am going to give him two plaques. Mr. William McClung presented plaques to Mr. Philip M. Brett, Director of Finance and Economic Development and Mayor Bruce G. Rinker designating Mayfield Village as a Business Friendly Community. Mr. McClung said I will tell you that this doesn't mean that you can rest on your laurels. It is good for only 3 years and at the end of 3 years, you've got to re-qualify--so you've got to keep things moving forward. Believe me, that continues to be a task. The retention of jobs is probably as difficult as it is to attract new jobs. I would also tell you that the vast majority of new jobs comes from companies that are already in your community. So you need to cultivate that-and I think that is exactly what you are intending to do. All officials and members of the audience applauded. Council President Buckholtz said on behalf of Council and all others here, I would like to thank you very much, Mr. McClung, for your remarks. They were very complimentary and although some of us already feel that way, we love to hear it. We work really hard at it and we like to hear others reflect that. Council President Buckholtz said on a more solemn note, when I started on Council there was another member of Council, Mr. Larry Flynn, who was an inspiration. He sat directly across from me and I learned a lot about reading my packet and coining to Council prepared and not being afraid to be arguinentative at times but we have Mrs. Flynn in the audience and we have a resolution to be adopted in his honor so a little flicker of light in a moment of sadness, I can read I `