2 April 2012 • Vol. 17, No. 4
The Bismarck Mandan Chamber of Commerce 1640 Burnt Boat Drive • P.O. Box 1675 Bismarck, ND 58502-1675 223-5660
www.bismarckmandan.com or
www.bismanchamber.com
Published by The Bismarck Tribune 707 E. Front Avenue • P.O. Box 5516 Bismarck, ND 58502-5516
Contact Information: Content:
The Chamber - 223-5660
info@bismarckmandan.com
Advertise: Gene Holwegner phone 701-355-8847
MISSION STATEMENT:
The Chamber will advance the business environment and economic base of the Bismarck-Mandan area.
Chamber Staff Kelvin Hullet
Susie Kocourek Sally Paulson Dot Frank
Ryan Parsons Jesse Sailer Peg Iszler
Annie Bergrud President
Senior Program Director Program Director
Marketing & Communications Director
Membership Director
Membership Services Director Director of First Impressions Chief Accounting Offi cer
Executive Committee Shannon Gangl, Gangl Hospitality/Development ............................ Chairmen Leslie Oliver, Vogel Law Firm
.......................Chair-Elect Dr. Craig Lambrecht, Medcenter One ............... Treasurer Tom Todd, NW Contracting .............................. Secretary Barb Aasen, Eide Bailly
LLP...........................Past-Chair
Board of Directors Jeff Neuberger Mike O’Keeffe TJ Russell
Perrie Schafer Rick Matteson Greg Vetter Barb Aasen Molly Barnes Norm Clark Bill Daniel Jeff Essler
Karen Johner Craig Larson
Shannon McQuade-Ely Leslie Oliver
Annette Behm-Caldwell Shannon Gangl Tom Todd
Chris Brown Marc Taylor
Craig Lambrecht Ed Wolff
Heather Jones Jeff Albers
Michael T. Schmitz Dan Pearson Wayne Munson
Mid-Dakota Clinic Primecare Farm Credit Services Cloverdale Foods
Schafer Financial, Inc. MDU Resources Group American Bank Center Eide Bailly LLP
Northern Improvement Co. Gate City Bank
Daniel Companies HIT, Inc.
ND Guaranty & Title Co. Starion Financial
McQuade Distributing Vogel Law Firm
Open Road Honda
Seven Seas Hotel & Waterpark Northwest Contracting NRG Technical Services Northern Plains Equipment MedCenter One NISC
City Air Mechanical
Schwan GM Auto Center Widmer Roel PC Northwest Tire
Indigo Signworks
state were under about three feet of snow with a concern being expressed about looding on the horizon. This year, it is has already pushed 80 degrees, the golf courses are open and there is concern about a drought. It is amazing how fast conditions can change. In business, the dynamics of change also seem to evolve into a faster cycle every day. Keeping up with not just our indi- vidual businesses but the policy and regulatory environment is in itself, a full time job. That is where the Chamber comes to your assistance; it makes sure you are informed about the current policy discussions. In this month’s column, there are some issues I want to touch on and ensure you, the members, are informed of. The irst is Measure 2. This initiated constitutional measure would eliminate property taxes. On the surface, it seems like a great idea; the state is lush with cash from oil de- velopment and property tax is the most com- plained about tax so why not eliminate it and have the state “fund” all the lo- cal services? We all wish it was that easy. Property taxes bring
W
in more than $800 million per year to local governments or $1.6 billion a biennium. If property taxes are eliminated, the state will be required under the proposed amend- ment to replace that revenue for local governments. While there is a sub- stantial amount of tax revenue from oil, there is not enough to fund local government and fulill the rest of the state’s obligations without seeking out other revenue sources. In short, elimi- nating property taxes is a tax shift, not the elimination of a tax. In reviewing the proposed measure, it does impede our locally elected oficials and residents from making a determination about their community. While the measure says the Legislature will be required to “fully and properly” fund its legally-imposed obligations, how that is actually deined will be open to substantial debate. For instance, let’s take the current discussion in Bismarck regarding new schools. If Measure 2 passes, the Bismarck Public School District will be required to ask the legislature for the $80 million dollars to build new schools. That is exactly the point where the discussion about “fully and properly” will begin as legislators from across the state will begin a debate as to how many schools and what amount of funding is appropriate for Bismarck. This also is exactly the point when school board members become
hat a diff erence a year makes. Last year at this time, our community and
CHAIR’S
lobbyists-in-chief. Now, let us assume that in addition
to Bismarck other communities such as Williston, Dickinson, Fargo and Minot are asking for schools in the same legislative session. Suddenly, this sounds a lot like debate over the higher education budget, which also is locked in the state’s constitution. Somehow, this does not sound like local school board members making a decision in cooperation with local residents via a public vote on the issue. Vote No on Measure 2.
The second issue I want to briely
touch on is local elections. In June, there are a number of seats on the city and county commission and park board that are open. At the time of this writing, with the exception of Morton County, there were few candidates running for any of the seats up for elec- tion.
Showcase
your company at the Spring Mixer!
Chamber. Shannon
Let me encourage you or ask you to encourage a friend, employee or colleague to run for a local board. As noted above, local control really is the heart of our governing struc- ture in America. We need good, thoughtful can- didates with a broad perspec- tive to run for these seats. If you want more
information about
what running for a local ofice entails, feel
free to contact Kelvin at the Shannon Gangl, Board Chair
FRIDAYS AT THE CHAMBER
Join fellow members for a free burger or brat one Friday each month. This is a great opportunity to network and enjoy the warm summer weather.
Upcoming Fridays at the Chamber
- June 15, noon to 1 p.m. - July 13, noon to 1 p.m. - August 3, noon to 1 p.m.
RSVP online at 223-5660 or at
www.bismarckman-
dan.com/events
SAVE THE DATE
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