2002 AGN DEC 17 I16 - Laserfiche WebLink

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COLTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Prepared by Jean Krisle. Executive Director, Colton Chamber of Commerce For Daryl Parrish, CitLManager, and Members of the City Council, Colton HISTORICAL PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF COLTON Over the past several decades, the Colton Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Colton, has implemented a strong business retention and Improvement program for city -held business licensees. In addition, the Citizen and Business Referral Service provided by the Chamber is a program of great benefit to both the new or visiting community person, and our local businesses, These programs, along with annual events sponsored by both the City and the Chamber, was initiated to ensure instant communication between the sometimes seemingly 'formidable' Gty and the new and small business owners. The Chamber newsletter, The Business Card, is mailed to all business license holders in the City of Colton six (6) times a year. This publication provides current and critical information in a palatable format, with additional local and Chamber related articles, dates and calendars. Several events are historically Signature Events for both the City and the Chamber. These events include Discover Colton Night, and the Annual 'Christmas in the Park' Parade and Program. Both of these events attract not only representatives from all segments of our local and surrounding business communities, but a wide span of diversity from within the Colton residential community also. Historically, a representative from the City has been seated as a member of the Colton Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors, with the City Manager serving as an Honorary Member since June 2001. Funding from the City, has been approved in recent years within the Two -Year Budget Approval Process adopted by the City Council, for a specified amount to be allocated each year. This amount is not a penny more then the Chamber needs, to fulfill it's agreed upon role. SEVERE CUTS CRIPPLE LOCAL NON-PROFIT With a budget that includes discretionary funds in the amount of $0, and a limited source of identified income sources due to its non-profit status, and previously approved budget alloca- tions from the City of Colton, the Colton Chamber of Commerce is facing a crisis of huge proportion.... almost 25% of its entire budget The recent withdrawal of funding by the City of Colton, representing a 50% cut in promised monies to the Chamber, has severely crippled the ability of this almost century old organization to stay inexistence. With no advance notice, and income sources restricted by the specific guidelines applied to non-profit organizations, the ability of the Chamber to pick itself up and move ahead without significant and rippling damage is, at the best, doubtful. ZOOl,t003 BudyetABocatlon Business Retention& $30,000 Improvement Program Citizen and Business Referral services 14,900 Discover Colton Night 2,500 Christmas Parade 1,000 Other Events 500 The Business Card Newsletter 2,100 TOTAL $51,000 Potential Partnerships: • Quarterly Luncheons a. Business Recognition b. State of the City c. Economic Report d. Educational • Public Relations a. Events b. Programs c. Liaison Efforts • Marketing • Event Planning • f°The Hub City"