By Katie Northcott, News Director
At its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, the Manchester Finance Committee decided not to discuss increasing the city’s donation to the Manchester Chamber of Commerce because the Chamber did not submit a formal request for more funding.
Mayor Joey Hobbs cited the recorded minutes from the December 2 Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) meeting as the basis for requiring a formal request from the Chamber.
BOMA passed a motion asking the committee to consider increasing Chamber funding from $10,000 to $25,000 at its Dec. 2 meeting. At the December BOMA meeting, Hobbs said the item would be put on the agenda at the next committee meeting.
Find more information about the Jan. 20 Finance Committee meeting here.
Alderman Ryan French, who made the motion at the December BOMA meeting, responded to Peterson Media Group’s request for comment on Wednesday, Jan. 21. In his statement, French said he did not intend for the Chamber to be required to present a formal request to the Finance Committee.
French’s full statement is copied below.
No, I did not intend on the chamber having to make a request. I’m not sure where that confusion came from, I did not stipulate that in my motion, nor was an amendment made to include it.
The minutes do reflect that stipulation, which is incorrect. I did not catch that, or I would have asked for an amendment, and will in February. That is my mistake.
I’m glad that others are now taking the time to clarify that they see the value in what the chamber does.
I believe greatly in investing into a productive narrative and communication that seeks results. If there are any deficiencies, fine, speak to them and offer the dialog that can lead to productive change.
I made a motion to change the allotment from $10,000 to $25,000 and I arrived at that number as a consideration of operational overlap within day to day chamber business, tourism business, and economic and community development responsibilities. I actually believe a consideration should have been discussed after the elimination of the [Economic and Community Development] commission last year.
At the end of the day, the chamber has responsibilities across economic and community development and tourism regardless of any formal agreement, it’s inherent. Without question, strong efforts in those sectors lead to a stronger, more engaged local business climate.
I must say that most importantly I have reached out to Mayor Hobbs and have his commitment to work through creating a formal plan.
I’m encouraged after speaking with him and members of the chamber board of directors, that we will have good faith conversations around what that partnership looks like.
I agree that the system in place had become inefficient, but I also believe it our responsibility to seek those efficiencies with open dialog and adjustments to how our partnerships look.
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