By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Caribou Chamber Board members met on Monday to set a course of action for the Caribou Chamber of Commerce and Industry; on June 20 board members voted to separate the marketing and promotion responsibilities from the agency’s economic development and loan portfolio management functions and to possibly place the formerly independent Chamber under the city’s umbrella.
The basis of separation between the chamber and economic development was verbally outlined in the board-approved “Option One” during the June 20 meeting as a way to promote efficiency and create cost savings, however, the specifics pertaining to the implementation of the option are still being developed. According to Chamber President Joseph Sleeper II, Option One was more of a discussed proposal at the time of the vote and is still being formally prepared as the planning process regarding the separation progresses.
Board members who voted both for and against Option One are working together to ensure that the Caribou continues to benefit from the Chambers services while increasing economic development efforts.
While it was said during the July 20 meeting that Option One would involve the establishment of four city employees, chamber and city officials have since stated that this is not necessarily the case, Sleeper explained.
Caribou City Manager Steve Buck presented fellow board members in attendance with a suggested course of action regarding the establishment of the separate entities; the first point of order under each article aims to establish structure addresses identifying whether employees would work as an independent operator or a municipal employee.
At the end of Monday’s meeting, the board came to the consensus that it would be necessary to draft and amend bylaws for the separate entities in order to effectively proceed.
While no specific date was selected for the next meeting of Board members, it was estimated by Sleeper that the Board would most likely convene in about a month or so.
