As you may be aware, the City’s Administrative Services Committee (ASC) met  Wednesday May 9 to discuss the proposed ordinance intended to reduce the use of  plastic bags issued at point of sale. They reviewed the recommendations from City staff on this issue, and I  wanted to provide an update on the status of this proposal to you. 

First, some quick background:  this ban would only apply to bags at the point of sale for retailers.  It would not apply to produce or meat bags.  It would not apply to newspaper bags, door hangers, bags distributed for food drives, or any other plastic bag.  It strictly applies to retail businesses at the cash register.

After  several meetings between City staff and stakeholders (which included the Chamber) City staff had recommended to the ASC that no ordinance be enacted due to some legal questions and due to anticipated costs associated with violation enforcement.  
 
Staff also submitted a proposed ordinance that would have established a ban of single-use plastic bags with voluntary compliance and no enforcement. After lengthy discussion by Committee members and  testimony from citizens, the ASC returned the proposed ordinance to staff  with instructions to insert penalties of several hundred dollars for each violation of the ban. 

This ban would most likely apply to every retailer in the City, from the farmers market booths on up. 
 
The rewritten ordinance will come back to the ASC, and then be forwarded to the full  City Council for consideration, probably in June.  
 
I want you to be aware that the Chamber has been engaged in the discussion on  this issue since the beginning, with particular emphasis on ensuring any proposed ordinance was fair, did not adversely affect our local businesses, and
allowed adequate time for any type of restriction to be implemented without undue costs to retailers.  We will continue to tell the City Council that there may be unintended consequences from the proposal ordinance, and ask that they recognize that local businesses are the cornerstone of a strong local economy.  Our local retailers have struggled during the recession, and we feel that unplanned expenses on top of narrow profit margins is an intimely and unfair decision.
 
We know that the members of the business community are not aligned on this issue, but we believe that protecting businesses from unreasonable costs and regulation is an appropriate position for any business organization to take.  Recognizing divergent opinions, we recommend that you make your thoughts known to Council.  If you are interested in this issue and wish to share your opinion through the Chamber or directly to the City Council, please contact us. We will help you obtain the correct addresses. However the most effective way to be heard is directly to the City Council, and the method with the most impact is in person.  We will post the dates of upcoming meetings, and hope your will share your perspective on this proposal.

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The #3 reason to join the Chamber:  Free use of our stuff!

Many small businesses need places to meet or make presentations, but don't have the space - or even an office.  When you join the Chamber, you have free access to our conference rooms, overhead projector, sound system, event canopy, and more!  If you use all these resources just once, you may have saved enough in rental fees to cover your annual membership dues. 

Of course, the Chamber has value in many other ways, but using our stuff for free is really easy to understand.  We'll even make the coffee.

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Reason #4 - Influence.

As a Chamber member, you have influence over public policy decisions impacting business and the quality of life in Corvallis.  The Chamber monitors policy at the City, County, and State levels, working to ensure a fair and balanced environment to conduct your business.

The Chamber's Government Affairs Committee meets monthly to review public policy, meet with elected officials, and plan important informational programming, such as the Legislative Affairs Breakfast, Advocacy Reception, and government-focused Forums.

If you would like to be part of the Government Affairs Committee, contact Erin at the Chamber - (541) 757-1505, or ewiedeman@corvallischamber.com .
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Every once in a while we receive an inquiry regarding the US Chamber of Commerce - or occasional rages about US Chamber actions, wanting to know if we are part of it all. While it may be tempting to make the assumption that your local Chamber is in lockstep with a national organization, that is certainly not the case for us. We do not belong to the US Chamber, and are in no way affiliated with them.  We do not participate in their activities, and quite frankly they don't care about ours. But that's because we are local, and we care about what happens here in Corvallis and Benton County - in our local business community, not in a far-flung state. 

Be assured that our political interests are local -  based only in encouraging a strong local economy, arguing for fair business regulations, and wanting to ensure Corvallis continues to be a great place to work and conduct  business.  We tackle local issues for our local business members, and we like it that way.

Our Government Affairs Committee (GAC) works to provide information and  resources to the local business community to make working with the City of  Corvallis and Benton County more understandable.  We enjoy a collaborative relationship  with our local government leaders, and are working toward the common good for  our community.  In fact,  members of the City Council and County Commission serve as representatives to our Board and GAC and they are incredibly helpful as we strive to better understand local government.

The GAC also helps facilitate some of our Chamber Lunch Forums with state officials and others who provide information on programs and proposals that matter to local businesses.  They are a great way to get information, and to network and increase your client or customer base at the same time!
 
If you are not a Chamber member, we hope that you will consider joining the Corvallis Chamber to lend your voice to the work that we do on behalf of the Corvallis business community.   We believe the business community is a vital part of  our city, and that we are stronger working together.

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Last week your Chamber introduced a new polling feature on our website.  Our hope is that this polling tool will give us insight into our members perspectives and help us make some decisions on direction of the Chamber, from programs and promotions to public policy.

Our first question asked participants whether they supported or opposed the proposal to ban single-use plastics bags that will be coming to the Corvallis City Council. Not surprisingly, the results were mixed: 54% in favor, 38% opposed, and the rest wanting to know more. 

Now this certainly wasn't a scientific poll as participants self-selected, and it doesn't numerically reflect the majority of our membership much less the voters of Corvallis.  But it does tell us how people are thinking on issues facing our community, and therefore it's an important data point as we begin looking into this issue. 

Your Chamber's Government Affairs Committee will most likely be discussing this issue as many of our members utilize plastic bags for products they sell.  We will need to know more specifics of the proposal and who will be affected.  We will need to know how the ban impacts them and what their alternatives are.  Hearing first hand from our members will help us evaluate if the Chamber takes a position on this issue., and will comunicate what decision is made.

We take your business seriously and want to work with City, County, and State goverments to make doing business a little easier. We are your advocates every day.  We're all for business!
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January may seem far away, but to the team coordinating Celebrate Corvallis, it's right around the corner.  Nominations for the outstanding volunteers, businesses and non-profits that make Corvallis such a great community are now open!  Who do you know that should be recognized this year?  Here are the award categories:

- First Citizen
- Future First Citizen
- Junior First Citizen
- Senior First Citizen
- Robert C. Ingalls Business Person of the Year
- Business of the Year
- Patron of the Arts
- Jim and Ruth Howland Special Achievement Award
- Community Organization/Non-Profit of the Year

In a departure from prior Celebrate Corvallis events, this year's celebration will be held Friday, January 20 at Reser Stadium on the Club Level.  The theme is "Celebrate the Decades," and will be special as it is also the Chamber's Centennial celebration!

Sponsorships are also now available, with a special category to recognize businesses in the community by sponsorship of the "decade" they were founded!  This will be a fun way to honor the many long-time businesses who have contributed so much to Corvallis over the years. 

Nominations will onlly be open until November 14, so visit www.celebratecorvallis.com now! 






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