BY MASAKI OVA
The Jamestown Sun
JAMESTOWN — The Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Bucks and the Loyal to Local Holiday Passport Program help ensure the money spent at local businesses is kept in the community, according to Emily Bivens, executive director of the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce.
“What I like about these programs, we are able to track how many gift certificates we’ve written, how many have been redeemed and how many are still out there waiting to be redeemed,” Bivens said.
The chamber tries to promote its member businesses, and the two pro-
grams are beneficial to them, she said.
“They feel it’s very important to give back to the community and the community gives back to you,” she said. “Shopping local means more money for community things.”
Supporting the local businesses helps fund multiple things in the city of Jamestown, Bivens said. She also said shopping locally could support a neighbor who works at one of those businesses or the business in turn might support a nonprofit organization or a community little league team.
Chamber Bucks Chamber Bucks are gift certificates that look like checks and are available year-round. They are
accepted at all of the chamber member businesses.
“Almost 350 area businesses accept these,” Bivens said.
The Chamber Bucks can be used for services outside of typical local shopping such as purchasing groceries or clothes. Bivens said Chamber Bucks can be used at your local dentist or for oil changes. The Chamber Bucks
never expire, she said. Businesses accept Chamber Bucks similar to a check.
“If you do find an old one (Chamber Bucks/gift certificate) … you can always bring them into our office and we will issue a new one to you,” Bivens said.
Bivens encourages people to get Chamber Bucks in smaller denominations. She said the most common denominations
are $20 or $25. She also said to call ahead if a large amount of Chamber Bucks is wanted.
“They are very popular during the holidays but are available all year round,” she said. “I know a lot of businesses give them out as employee gifts.”
To get Chamber Bucks, individuals can contact the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce at (701) 252-4830.
Loyal to Local Holiday Passport
The chamber’s Loyal to Local Holiday Passport Program which helps track local spending during the holiday season will also return. The program kicks off on Small Business Saturday, which is Nov. 25, and runs through the beginning of January.
Bivens said the cham-
programs on B10
BY MASAKI OVA
The Jamestown Sun
JAMESTOWN — Shop-
ping local contributes to the city of Jamestown paying on special assessments projects.
A half percent of the city’s 2.5% city sales tax goes to the city share specials reserve fund.
City Administrator
Sarah Hellekson said the city pays a share of special assessment projects for water main, sewer main, reconstruction and resurfacing roads and new roads, which does not include alleys, driveways, sidewalks and curb or gutter, per the special assessment policy.
PROGRAMS
CONTINUED from B9
ber tracked $130,000 in local spending during the last holiday season. She said for every $100 that is spent in Jamestown, $67 stays in the local community. She said the chamber is always looking for more businesses to participate
The city’s share is paid from the city share specials reserve fund.
The city of Jamestown’s special assessment is the primary method the city of Jamestown uses to fund public improvements, according to its special assessment policy. The costs of the improvements are allocated to the parcels that benefit from the projects.
Hellekson said in an email that the city of Jamestown will pay about $1.2 million for the city’s share of special assessments to 18 funds for 18
projects. The amounts for each fund are set on a schedule to ensure that funds are available as projects rotate in and out of service.
She said when more special assessments get paid, it is the property owners who are paying against the special assessments on those properties. She said the city doesn’t pay off the special assessments early from the city shares specials reserve fund.
Hellekson said the loan or the bond schedule for the project determines the amount and frequency to be paid annually.
in the Loyal to Local Holiday Passport Program. The chamber starts recruiting businesses in October to participate in the program. She said any business — chamber member or nonmember — can participate in the passport program for a small fee. She said the fees are different for members or nonmembers to participate in the program.
The program also helps small businesses even with just brand awareness, Bivens said. For example, people who pick up a book might not realize there is a small boutique in Jamestown.
“That tells me that the program is working and we are doing a good job for those members that maybe don’t have a huge
She said the city distributes the payments from the special assessment fund only once annually to the debt service funds.
Mayor Dwaine Heinrich said the city sales tax is used for other things as well, such as 1% to pay off the bond for the Two Rivers Activity Center.
Heinrich said every dollar spent in Jamestown helps support the community. He said retail operations support a variety of different organizations and programs in the community.
“They have to receive profits from their busi-
marketing budget that these bigger stores have,” she said.
The chamber’s goal is to help get businesses’ names out to people and get customers through their doors to spend money locally.
To participate, take a booklet to a participating business and get a stamp for purchases made up to $50. To have a completed
ness in order to have profits to be able to donate to the community,” he said.
Heinrich said Jamestown is a community that has a lower-than-average taxable valuation of property to levy property taxes.
“We are dependent for some of these things on sales taxes to try to level the playing field with other communities and to try to level a little bit of the tax burden on our local residents,” he said.
When projects are located outside of Jamestown but in Stutsman County, he said the city of Jamestown and the Jamestown Public School District don’t
“We
booklet, $250 needs to be stamped, so people will have to visit at least five area businesses, Bivens said. They can visit more but a minimum of five businesses will need to be visited to return the booklet. Once a booklet is complete, it can be brought to the chamber office or Zimmerman’s Furniture for a chance to win a prize. Those returning the booklet should make sure they’ve filled out the page with their contact information in order to be contacted if they win a prize.
mova@jamestownsun.com | (701) 952-8454
when shopping at a nonlocally owned business.
Metro
Newspaper Service
Ideas about shopping are never set in stone, and the pandemic illustrated just how quickly consumer trends and opinions can change.
Many individuals are now reevaluating how they spend their hardearned money, particularly since inflation has affected just how far a dollar can be stretched. When consumers think about which stores to patronize, locally-owned businesses may be the smartest option for a number of reasons – not the least of which is the way such enterprises benefit the communities they call home.
More money kept in the community
Shopping locally means that more money will stay in the community.
According to recent research from Civic Economics, local eateries return nearly 79 percent of revenue to the community, compared to just over 30 percent for chain restaurants. Overall, for every $100 spent at a local business, around $73 remains in the community, verus roughly $43
Get a personal touch
Local business owners typically are inclined to go the extra mile for their customers and are personally invested in the services and products they are selling. As a result, shopping locally tends to be a personalized experience. Furthermore, a local business owner may be more amenable to ordering products for specific clientele. Such personalized service is typically not accessible when shopping big box stores or other shops where owners are off-site.
Lines are short
Waiting in long lines for checkout or to pick up merchandise ordered online can drain consumers’ energy and contribute to stress. Local businesses tend to have short lines and small crowds, which can lead to a more pleasant shopping experience.
Generates tax revenue
Local businesses generate more tax revenue per sales dollar, according to Rubicon, a digital marketplace for waste and recycling businesses. Taxes
paid by local small businesses go to support schools, parks, roads, and other programs that benefit the community as well.
Support nonprofits
Local businesses often support good work in the community, such as nonprofit groups. These can include schools and sports teams, among other groups. According to Dr. Sue Lynn Sasser, professor of economics at the University of Central Oklahoma, studies indicate nonprofits receive 250 percent more support from small businesses than larger ones.
Support other local businesses
Local business support other local businesses by buying and selling among each other. A local, independently owned restaurant may source its ingredients from local farms, which means visitors to such eateries are supporting multiple local businesses each time they dine out.
Small businesses are a boon to the economy, particularly local economies. These enterprises help their communities in a multitude of ways.
Contributed / Metro Newspaper Service
It’s easy for anyone to support the small businesses that make their communities unique.
