Image from Wikimedia Commons page.
Click: >>>>>>> Economic stimulus Northampton
Click on the link above to cast your vote for or against the shovel ready projects as put forth by the city of Northampton for the federal economic stimulus plan. You can also leave comments providing more information, in support of or in opposition to the proposals, or neutral I suppose. Of course you can find other communities and vote on their proposals too.
The rationale behind the economic stimulus plan is, well, economic stimulus. The idea being that employed persons spend money and pay income and other taxes which support both the economy and the government. Thus some of the stimulus funds will be redistributed back to the government. Pretty neat. As well materials purchased, like asphalt, concrete and fuel, also feed money into the economy.
Below I've included information regarding the proposals from the above link. As I indicated, at the site you can vote on the worthiness of each proposal, or select only those proposals you wish to vote for or against.
Based strictly on a cost per job criteria the repaving of Hinckley Street would provide the most jobs for the lowest cost per job. The list is arranged in ascending order based on the costs per job created.
Above I've also included an image of Maslow's reknown Hierarchy of Needs, which begins with the most basic human needs on the bottom. Individually, where do you think these projects fit on Maslow's Hierarchy? If you were the decision maker, how would you weight the perceived economic benefits of each project with the hierarchy?
| Description | Cost | Jobs | Cost per job | Program type |
| Hinckley Street repaving | $1,000,000 | 24 | $41,667 | Streets/roads |
| Upgrade well chlorination equipment at two wells | $695,000 | 12 | $57,917 | Water |
| Milton Street repaving | $1,500,000 | 24 | $62,500 | Streets/roads |
| Flood Control-dike, levee and pump station upgrades | $500,000 | 6 | $83,333 | Water |
| Installation of zinc orthophosphate chemical feed at water treatment plant | $700,000 | 8 | $87,500 | Water |
| Manhan Rail Trail 2.4 miles | $3,100,000 | 18 | $172,222 | Streets/roads |
| Slip lining sewer mains | $1,000,000 | 5 | $200,000 | Water |
| Replace cast iron and asbestos cement water mains 20 miles | $6,000,000 | 15 | $400,000 | Water |
| Replacement of sewer mains | $4,000,000 | 10 | $400,000 | Water |
| Pavement Management 100 road miles | $15,000,000 | 30 | $500,000 | Streets/roads |
| Total | $33,495,000 | 152 | $220,361.84 | average |
| $129,861 | median |
