ABSTRACT
Politics and government in Decatur have traditionally rested on the belief that “What’s good for the chamber of commerce is good for the community” intersects with “What’s good for the community is good for the chamber of commerce.” The number of intergovernmental relationships Decatur participates in has increased greatly since 1960. By 1900 Decatur’s regional position on the urban-industrial frontier was secure, with no great sacrifice to either the agricommercial tradition or local ownership and control. Politically, the values and interests of agricommercialism continue to inform Decatur’s responses to the metropolitan-technological frontier. The number of intergovernmental relationships Decatur participates in has increased greatly since 1960. New federal and state regulations and entitlement programs account for a great many of those relationships; however, there is also more willingness to use the money. A new civic center is near completion thanks to $10 million from state race track tax funds and $3 million from federal revenue sharing funds.
