AMANDA REDMAN and MORGAN KELLER, Managing Editor
MakeMyMove has brought four remote workers and their families to Marion since the city signed onto the program with the goal of recruiting 10 in 2022.
The national, Indianapolis-based program matches workers with cities that provide financial and material incentives when they relocate.
Outgoing Mayor Jess Alumbaugh did not sign to renew the contract when it expired this fall, so incoming mayor Ronald Morrell plans to meet with MakeMyMove representatives to determine the local program’s fate.
“I’m not well-versed on the program. From what I can see from the outside, it looks like we have been able to attract a few citizens to come to Marion. I definitely want to research and see what the potential is, whether we keep it or do away with the program,” Morrell said during a telephone interview. “I have a meeting with the company in January to educate myself more on what the program is and see if it’s going to be a great fit for us to continue on from here on out.”
Alumbaugh did not return phone calls or emails requesting comment about the reasons for not renewing the contact.
Since the contract expired in September, MakeMyMove has been keeping Marion on its marketplace and continues to serve applicants, but is not doing outbound marketing or ads to promote the city until a contract is decided, said Evan Hock, co-founder and chief operating officer, during a telephone interview.
“We have to work out some of the logistics with the new administration but we are excited to see it move forward,” Hock said. “Our team is staying engaged with the pipeline of folks that are thinking about moving to Marion. We just aren’t running any of that outbound marketing for the region until we figure next steps with the campaign.”
The city has three outstanding offers that have been sent to interested people, according to Layla Price-Bodkin, city of Marion director of marketing and community relations.
The program is really a bridge for workers who want to move out away from metropolitan areas.
“There are thousands of these remote workers that are looking for a new home. A lot of them are coming from San Francisco, New York, Texas and Florida,” Hock said. “They’re looking for quality of life.”
Quality of life can mean different things to different people, Hock explained.
“A lot of these folks are looking for community connection,” Hock said. “They want to live in a place they feel like they can give back to, that they can forge connections and that they can feel like they belong.”
The program is currently expanding to include incentives and signing bonuses for police officers, teachers, nurses and CDL drivers, Hock said.
An economist from the I.U. Public Policy Institute was employed to calculate the financial impact of new recruits on local the economies they move to, Hock said.
It estimated the four families brought $283,292 of total new annual economic impact to the city, Price-Bodkin said, adding that $30,292 is in state and local taxes while $253,000 is new, direct and indirect consumer spending. The exact specifics on how these economic impact numbers were derived was not provided to the Chronicle-Tribune.
“These folks are going to spend in local economies. They’ll buy homes, they pay taxes,” Hock said.
To qualify for the Marion program, individuals or families must reside outside of the state. Additionally, they must earn at least $50,000 in combined income annually. Requirements vary by location, as do the financial incentives. Noblesville, for example, requires an $80,000 annual household income.
“That’s for the entire household,” Price-Bodkin said.
Once a recruit moves in, $2,500 is paid from the city to them along with thousands of dollars of “in-kind” gifts given by local businesses.
“Our total incentive package is $8,000. That’s the $5,000 plus our incentive package is worth about $3,000 more,” Price-Bodkin said.
Some of the biggest and most popular gifts are a flyover the city provided by the airport, a handmade quilt, YMCA memberships, and season passes to local attractions.
At the time of a recruit moving into the city, a payment of $2,000 is also due to Make My Move for their services which include advertisement services and vetting applicants on the marketplace.
Once the recruit has lived in the city for one year, another $2,500 is paid to them along with another $2,000 to MakeMyMove, Price-Bodkin explained.
One of the problems Marion has faced over the last several years is a decline in population.
According to U.S. Census data, the population of Marion has steadily declined from 29,948 in 2010 to an estimated 28,030 in 2023. The last official census count said there were 28,310 people living in the city in 2020, meaning on average, Marion has lost 93 people per year in the last three years.
Advocating for the program, Price-Bodkin and Hock say the program can help reverse population loss while increasing consumer spending and the local tax base.
“The four families that we’ve moved are really invested in our community already.” Price-Bodkin said. “They’ve all purchased homes here. They’ve brought 14 children with them. They’re shopping at our local stores, getting active in the YMCA and in our local churches. A couple of them are also working on moving their extended families here, too.”
While MakeMyMove is bringing new families to Marion that are investing in the community, the incentive model the program uses to attract families comes at a cost.
Between the $5,000 payment and $3,000 of in-kind gifts and the $4,000 paid to MakeMyMove, the program will cost $12,000 per family for a total of $48,000 if the families all stay the full year.
The four families add up to 22 new residents in Marion. Extrapolating from those numbers, it could cost over $200,000 just to break even with the previous year’s population loss using this program.
Price-Bodkin acknowledged the MakeMyMove program alone will not completely reverse population loss, but said it’s a move in the right direction.
If the worker were to leave the city before the anniversary date, they would not need to pay back the amount already given but would not be eligible for the second payment, Price-Bodkin explained.
Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) provided an initial $40,000 to the city for the first five families who join the program as part of the statewide initiative to draw remote workers to the state, Price-Bodkin explained.
Once five families have moved into the city, IEDC will provide another $35,000, Price-Bodkin said.
“I feel like we have almost met our initial goal and I hope we will get to continue,” Price-Bodkin said.
If the contract is not renewed, the city will follow through with the obligation to pay workers and Make My Move on the one-year anniversary date, Price-Bodkin said.
“The city has committed to moving five households and will be expected to honor the incentives and MakeMyMove fees for those households, but no more if Mayor Morrell decides not to continue,” Price-Bodkin said.