Business community must remain involved in city decision making

As I near my final Redlands City Council meeting on Dec. 4, I am frequently asked what advice I have for others based on my five years of City Council experience.

My advice is simple: Be involved — for your own welfare and for the welfare of Our Town.

A majority of the items before the City Council involve business. Some are specific to a single business such as rezoning of property or award of a contract, but many affect the entire business community and, of course, our entire city community.

Just consider a few of the far-reaching measures approved by the council over the past couple years:

Community Sustainability Plan. This plan first introduced by the Climate Action Task Force but extensively modified by city staff and City Council members calls for an extensive menu of green measures to limit our energy consumption and reduce our carbon impact. Many of the measures have substantial impact on the business community — some reasonable and some unreasonable.

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). This plan to reduce pollutants from our wastewater and stormwater drainage systems was authorized by the federal Clean Water Act of 1972, but only in the past couple years has the City of Redlands started charging nearly every business in town an NPDES fee along with their city business license no matter how unlikely it is that a business will discharge any pollutant. Even a one-room office is charged.

Increased city fees and service charges. In November, the City Council approved substantial increases in nearly all city fees and service charges based on what a hired consultant said was the city’s cost of providing various special services. Affected were special charges ranging from dog license fees to building permit fees. I thought the fee increases were too high, many of them borne by businesses.

Increase in overtime parking fines. At the last council meeting in November, a broad range of parking fines were increased, including hiking the fine for overtime parking from $35 to $55, the highest of cities surveyed in the area. Will the chance of getting a $55 overtime parking ticket discourage your customers from shopping in your area?

These are just a few examples of the many items the City Council considers that the business community should follow closely. There are many others.

Often the paths to council decisions are complex, and decisions are difficult. I voted for some of the measures described in this column and against others. But in each case the business community had a big stake.

Fortunately, our Chamber of Commerce’s Government Review Committee under the leadership of Geoff Bonney has been active in presenting the chamber’s viewpoint on some of these issues.

But more is needed. The business community needs to support the Chamber with individual phone calls, emails and letters. Be involved. Be reasonable but present your case persuasively. The council members do listen.

As the cost of just about everything continues to rise, one of the added values of Chamber membership is the ability to escape into the world of movie magic at discounted prices. In partnership with Krikorian Theatres the Redlands Chamber offers discounted tickets to members providing substantial savings when it’s time to go to the movies.

Whether the tickets are used for personal enjoyment or as an incentive for customers or employees, they are a terrific reward for a job well done or a gift for customer loyalty.

Tickets are available at the Chamber office for members only during normal office hours, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM (closed 12 – 1). Each ticket is $8.00 each. For large orders call in advance to insure there are adequate tickets available.

Discounted movie tickets; another benefit of chamber membership!!

Keeping tax dollars in town is an important part of the equation when talking about the city’s financial well-being, but more importantly shopping locally supports the local businesses, helps retain jobs, and circulates dollars in the community.

Small businesses employ local people local people. They support local charities and offer personal services. Local businesses patronizes local businesses, they join local service clubs and support local athletic programs.

You really can find almost anything you need here in Redlands.

We have:

• Retail and wholesale
• Restaurants and caterers
• Printers, writers and designers
• Gift shops, ice cream and toy stores
• Bike shops and car dealers
• Home improvement stores and maintenance servers
• Photographers, artisans and musicians
• Pet stores and services
• Gourmet food and wine
• Personal and professional services

So before you make a purchase ask yourself if you can Shop Redlands first.

In an effort to encourage customers to Shop Redlands First through the year the Chamber has successfully administered a campaign that has been both fun and fruitful for all the businesses in Redlands especially Chamber members.

Each month the Chamber has offered a prize valued at $100 or more. Shoppers have been encouraged to bring original receipts from Redlands businesses showing purchases of $25 or more to the Chamber office, the date on the receipt reflecting the date of the month of the drawing. The receipts are signed by the Chamber staff and exchanged for a ticket… the customer fills out address and phone number and the ticket is placed in a basket to be a part of the month end drawing. If the receipt is from a Chamber member the customer gets two tickets (Chamber members can be found on the Chamber’s website).

At the end of each month a drawing takes place for the $100 prize and the winner is announced on the Chamber’s website, in an email blast and in the Redlands Quarterly Magazine Chamber page as well as the local press. Shoppers have flocked to the Chamber office each month with receipts vying for gift cards, cash cards, gas cards and more.

President of the Chamber Paul Barich, Barich & Associates Insurance, who originally brought the idea to the organization, said, “It’s a great program that hopefully makes people stop and think about shopping locally first. It’s important to keep the dollars local, to support our local businesses and to champion the small business owners of Redlands.”

Why shop local?

1. Protect Local Character and Prosperity

Redlands is unlike any other city in the world. By choosing to support locally owned businesses, you help maintain Redlands’ diversity and distinctive flavor.

2. Community Well-Being

Locally owned businesses build strong neighborhoods by sustaining communities, linking neighbors, and by contributing more to local causes.

3. Local Decision Making

Local ownership means that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions.

4. Keeping Dollars in the Local Economy

Your dollars spent in locally-owned businesses have three times the impact on your community. When shopping locally, you simultaneously create jobs, fund more city services through sales tax, invest in neighborhood improvement and promote community development.

5. Job and Wages

Locally owned businesses create jobs.

6. Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship fuels America’s economic innovation and prosperity, and serves as a key means for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into the middle class.

7. Public Benefits and Costs

Local stores in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure and make more efficient use of public services.8. Environmental Sustainability

Local stores help to sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers-which in turn are essential to reducing sprawl, automobile use, and air pollution.

9. Competition

A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.

10. Product Diversity

A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based, not on a national sales plan, but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.