Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Chamber aids our progress

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The city of Ketchum isn’t alone in the necessity of tightening its budget belt. The city council has targeted $60,000 for trimming to allow for staff raises.

But it would be a penny-wise, pound-foolish decision if the city refused to increase the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber and Visitors Bureau’s budget by a requested $20,000.

The chamber is the city’s official marketing arm, responsible for generating visitor traffic, which in turn contributes handsomely to the city’s local option tax.

Since LOT revenues have increased and shown a healthy upward trend since the post-9/11 economic slump, now is no time to withhold the essential fuel that fires the marketing engine that drives so much of the city’s economic intake.

Furthermore, the chamber already faces a penalty not of its choosing: It must find a new location for the visitors center at a cost of $15,000 per year or more, now that the city has agreed to vacate the chamber’s Town Center site on Main Street in a land swap with Wells Fargo Bank.

The city of Sun Valley has committed a $22,000 increase as part of its share for the 2005 fiscal year. Ketchum has an equivalent obligation to be no less responsible.

The Sun Valley-Ketchum area faces stiff competition from other resorts. A reasonable chamber budget will go a long way toward keeping our name in the public eye.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.