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Council Continues Chamber Discussion

News - Osawatomie

Written by Travis Perry

Wednesday, 18 November 2009 08:00

Members of the Osawatomie City Council again have turned their focus toward fostering growth within the local Chamber of Commerce.

After having discussed prior funding suggestions for the chamber, council members solidified their stance Thursday evening that levying an additional tax is not the best route for generating revenue for the business association.

“I think right now, after doing the research, we’ve realized there aren’t a lot of cities in Kansas that levy a special sales tax for that purpose, but there are those who provide funding” for their chamber, Councilwoman Tamara Maichel said.

The Osawatomie Chamber of Commerce currently receives $30,000 in funding from the city, an amount council members agreed they want to begin “weaning” the organization off of to help it become self-sufficient. Council members discussed an option on the table for the 2011 city budget in which the city would provide matching funds for dues received by the chamber.

Maichel said that right now, she sees the chamber as a struggling business, and a five-year strategy needs to be formed to help ensure its survival.
“I just can’t imagine a town without a chamber,” she said.
In general, council members have been optimistic about the future of the chamber.

“I’m just glad that we’re talking about this, and I think that the chamber has some ways to grow in the future,” Councilman Mike Moon said.
Also on Thursday, the council:

Amended the maximum fence height in areas where commercially zoned property is next to residentially zoned property. The council voted unanimously to raise the maximum height in those areas from 6 feet to 8 feet. The new zoning regulation is in effect as of today.

Officially annexed the property at 1926 Parker Ave. The land is the original site of the Adair Cabin, and the John Brown Foundation now owns the property.

Continued discussion on the viability of renewable energy sources in Osawatomie. Moon commented on the lack of potential wind turbines might have for generating power for Osawatomie, citing information he heard at a conference he recently attended in Wichita. Moon said a group from Pratt had determined that some wind turbines had generated only 8 percent of their maximum output since being installed.

“That’s not very much, and as you move further east across the state, the potential gets less and less,” Moon said.

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