The focus of the VISION and Strategies will be to provide:

• An opportunity for our children to have a quality job. The measurement will be. consistent positive in-migration requiring at least 25,000 net new jobs per decade.

History-During the 1980's, the Metro Augusta MSA provided strong positive in-migration and added 33,000 net jobs in the 1970's and 62, 000 in the 1980's.

• A per capita income ranking among the 31 0 MSA's in the United States that increases and exceeds the increase in the national average.

History-Metro Augusta's per capita income rank improved 99 positions from 250th in 1970 to 151st in 1990, and the US average improved 7 positions.

• A reduction in the crime rate to the lowest quartile among the 50 comparable population MSA's in the United States.

History- In 1992, Metro Augusta ranked in the 3rd quartile. 3

• An education opportunity that results in an education quotient 4 exceeding the US average.

History- The well known, Expansion Management Magazine annual education data series listed Augusta's (Richmond County) education quotient at 78.9 in 1993 and 76.8 in 1994 in comparison to the United States average of 100.

Metro Augusta in the year 2005 will have:

• Education systems that prepare our citizens to compete in the 21st century global economy.
• A diverse community committed to an excellent quality of life.
• Infrastructure that supports education, quality of life and economic development and provides global competitive advantage.
• A community wide partnership that produces a pro-active, dynamic and innovative business culture sought globally.
• Metro area governments that cooperate to efficiently provide infrastructure and services.
• A private sector that provides sustained commitment to attain the shared VISION for the entire community.

This is a bold VISION that will become reality as the citizens of Metro Augusta work together.

3 The source for the crime data is "Uniform Crime Reports for the United States 1992" printed annually by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20235.

4 The 'Education Quotient' is from the September-October 1993 and 1994 Expansion Management magazine. On a 50-to 150 scale, with 100 being the average, it provides a capsule summary of how a school district stands on a continuum of US school districts with enrollments of 450 students or more, considering seven indicators of education quality. The seven factors are: 1) graduation rate, 2) average college board scores, 4) per pupil $'s on instruction only, 5) student-to- teacher ratio, 6) surrounding community's average level of education and 7) average income level.