Council Corner
By Mary Kate Barbosa
In view of recent developments within the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, several questions have arisen, and some erroneous information had been disseminated. In short, there have been some important initial decisions made which need further examination by both the City Council and by the Board of CCC&I before any final decisions are made regarding economic development in Caribou.
In 2009, after many years of contributing financial support to the CCC&I, the City Council negotiated for the first time a one-year contract with the organization. This contract outlined the areas of responsibilities and division of chamber and economic development services as well as the specific duties and expectations of the city for service provisions. The City Council also issued a communication to the Board of Directors of the CCC&I outlining areas of concerns to be addressed during 2009. The Board of Directors accepted the communication as well as the Contract for Services and has been working in that direction since.
During 2010, the City has been working from last year’s contract without a formal renewal. This relationship continued as the CCC&I Board of Directors demonstrated to the Council that it was working to meet its contract and resolve the Council’s concerns. Prior to its July 20th meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed historical perspective, current methods of operations, staffing scenarios, fixed and operational costs, and audit findings. Based on this ongoing review, the Board of Directors voted to discontinue performing economic development within the framework of the CCC&I and to notify the city of the change of operations to be effective December 31st of this year. In essence, the Chamber will no longer provide the contracted service of economic development.
The Caribou City Council will meet in the near future to receive a status report from the CCC&I Board on their work and decisions. The Council will need to cooperate with the CCC&I Board to develop a plan to best transition chamber services, economic development, and the continuation of community development compliant with the Board, Council, and community’s visions.
The Council has no predetermination towards these service provisions and will not until a review of the Board’s conclusions has been completed. Every effort will be made to ensure preservation of past successes, modifications based on past evaluations, and provide appropriate independent board oversight reflective of the community’s desires. The Council will also provide updates to the community as this process moves forward.
