New Todd Co. Chamber of Commerce possibly in the works

A group of business and community leaders in Todd County are working to bring back a local chamber of commerce as the Todd County Community Alliance has begun a process to dissolve.

Glen Slack spoke to Todd Fiscal Court during a special-called meeting Thursday and says the demise of the last incarnation of a Todd County chamber of commerce was that it was exclusively volunteer-driven and those volunteers burned out.

http://media.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/1411/files/2018/02/slack.mp3

The chamber could start out with a part-time director or two part-time employees, but the hope is to eventually have a full-time director.

The Todd County Community Alliance has organized or promoted, and has oftentimes done both, for several community events each year. Slack says the Alliance commissioned the chamber feasibility study that examined chambers in counties of similar size and determined a Todd County chamber of commerce could be successful.

Letters are being mailed this week to Community Alliance members to notify them the organization will be dissolved as a chamber is pursued.

http://media.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/1411/files/2018/02/slack1.mp3

Slack says the Community Alliance could transfer approximately $11,000 to the chamber once it dissolves. The chamber’s annual budget is currently estimated at approximately $75,000, but Slack is asking fiscal court for $10,000 to pay for startup costs. Magistrates couldn’t vote the request up or down due to it being a special meeting, but asked for additional information on how the chamber plans to operate and raise private dollars at its next meeting.

In other business, magistrates approved an inter-local agreement with the City of Guthrie to direct all payroll and property tax revenues received by both entities toward a fund that will service the bond debt on approximately $9 million used to buy the land and construct infrastructure for Novelis as it builds a new plant with 125 new jobs on US 79. Approximately 250 acres were purchased in the initial phase and 100 acres has been retained by the city and county, but is expected to be needed by Novelis in the future for further development.