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CP/SE #1 REVIEW THE POSSIBILITY OF THE CREATION OF A DIVISION OF THE ANOKA AREA CHAMBER FOR THE CITY OF RAMSEY By: James Gromberg, Project Manager Background: One of the problems that the City of Ramsey has had in the past is a lack of identity for its businesses. This is further emphasized by many of the local businesses using Anoka as their mailing address instead of Ramsey. One of the long-term goals of the Economic Development Commission is the creation of a business association or an arm of one of the local Chamber of Commerce. One of the questions in the recent Ramsey Business Expo survey was whether or not the business owners felt that a business association would be advantageous to them and if they would be interested in being a member of such an organization. The majority of the businesses responding to this survey, regardless of whether they were interested in participating in the Business EXPO did indicate an interest in the formation of a business association and did feel that it would be advantageous to their business. With these results, I have asked Pete Turok of the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce to attend our meeting today and give a brief view on the formation of an arm of the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce for the City of Ramsey and some of the things that we will have to consider with regard to the formation of this group. Observations: The Economic Development Commission, in making its recommendation to the City Council regarding the possible formation of an arm of the Chamber in the City of Ramsey, will need to answer some of the following questions: Where will the Chamber group meet? What will be the annual dues? (If any) Will those dues be part of the annual dues for the Anoka Area Chamber? How will the Chamber arm and the Economic Development Commission (EDC) work together? Are there some functions of the EDC that could be handled by a Chamber group such as Business Appreciation Day and the Business EXPO? Recommendation: Staff recommends that the EDC make a decision regarding the formation of an arm of the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce. If this decision is of the positive nature, staff recommends the Commission develop a proposal for the formation of such a group. Economic Development Commission Action: Motion to recommend/not recommend that the Commission work together with Pete Turok to develop a proposal to form an arm of the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce for the City of Ramsey and to present this proposal to the Ramsey City Council for review and comment. Review Checklist: Project Manager City Administrator EDC:08-14-91