“Last year we decided to not continue funding the chamber,” Mayor Gary Aiken said at the meeting. “I still think that we should supply them with a place to do their business, but I have a tough time to justify funding them.”
Aiken looked to Chamber Director William Tasker, and asked him how much money is in their reserve account.
“Thirty-three thousand dollars.” Tasker said.
“Well, I have a tough time when the chamber of commerce has $33,000 in their reserve account and city taxpayers fund them another $15,000 when they could just use the money out of that account.”
“The one thing I can use as a rebuttal,” Tasker said, “is let’s say, next year, the council decides they don’t want to provide the chamber a place to do business, or the year after that. If we don’t have a reserve to be able to put ourselves in another building we have to pay for, then we wouldn’t have enough money to do business.”
“You could always rent a space,” said Aiken, “and I don’t think council is looking at putting you out on the street. You may have to move to another facility here or at the Rec Department, but I don’t think the council is looking to do that. And when I look at the other things we’re contemplating this year, it’s hard to justify that we’re doing away with a police officer yet funding a chamber who has a reserve fund of $33,000 — and we all know where the reserve fund came from — and then give them another $15,000.”
Councilor Joan Theriault brought up the remodeling of the Caribou municipal building, letting Tasker know that there would be room for the chamber once it is finished.
“That would probably be before anything ever happened to the Nylander,” said Aiken, “if it ever happened.”
Councilors agreed not to fund the chamber for 2016.
“We’re disappointed with the council’s decision,” said Tasker. “We don’t think it is the right message to send to our business community. It is what it is and we’ll carry on and continue to do the best we can to be a positive force for city of Caribou and its surrounding communities. It is disappointing, but we’ll carry on.”
