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Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks the Chamber does good work but thinks they should not get tax money. From today's TFP.

Chambers of Commerce may represent business, but local governments helped foot the bill for many Tennessee Chambers, records show.

Last year, cities poured more than $3.3 million of taxpayer funds into Chambers across the state, according to a new study by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an anti-tax group based in Nashville.

The Chattanooga Chamber received nearly $1 million of public funds last year from the city of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, the Tennessee Valley Authority and EPB to help fund its economic development programs.

In a new report on what it calls “Tennessee Pork,” the Tennessee Center for Policy Research suggests that Chambers of Commerce should wean themselves of government aid and be supported instead entirely from their business members.

“Chambers of Commerce serve a vital function for economic growth in local communities,” said Justin Owen, acting executive director at the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. “However, rather than fund these entities with taxpayer money, governments should cut taxes and spending, allowing individuals, small businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive.”

With lower taxes, Mr. Owen argues, businesses could afford to do more to support local Chambers without forcing other taxpayers to support a private organization with which they may not agree.

But economic recruiters in Tennessee insist that public-private partnerships have helped Tennessee to recruit more than $35 billion of new business investment since 2003, including three billion-dollar-plus projects landed during the recent recession.

“Tennessee operates in a competitive environment and what they seem to be advocating is that Tennessee unilaterally withdraw from competing in that environment,” said Mark Drury, assistant commissioner for Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development.

The Chattanooga Chamber received the second highest level of government support of any of the 30 Tennessee Chambers getting government aid last year, behind only the city of Sevierville which pumped nearly $1.6 million into its Chamber to promote “the Gateway to the Smokies.”

The city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County each contribute $450,000 a year to the Chamber’s economic development program, billed as “Chattanooga Can-Do.” The government-owned TVA and EPB also support the local Chamber.

J. Ed. Marston, vice president of marketing for the Chattanooga Chamber, said the public funds support a separate development program run by the Chattanooga Chamber Foundation, which is a legally separate identify from the membership-supported Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce. Both groups share the same board and staff, however.

The current 4-year economic development program which runs through next June gets 40 percent of its funding from local government and 60 percent from local businesses, Mr. Marston said. That program works to recruit businesses to Chattanooga and help retain or expand existing industry, including the operation of a business incubator in North Chattanooga.

The Can-Do program has helped 17 local companies expand and add 1,262 new jobs and has recruited 13 companies, including Volkswagen, which have added 2,910 jobs.

“We’re outperforming other communities today and that wasn’t the case prior to 2002 when we began this public-private partnership,” Mr. Marston said. “It’s not just a matter of what you pay, but the results you achieve.”

The Chattanooga Chamber is supported by more than 1,600 business members, Mr. Marston said.

Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield, who worked in the early 1980s as the Chamber’s economic development director, said bringing the local government and Chamber recruitment efforts into a single organization helped to unify Chattanooga’s message and expand the resources available for business trips, advertising and startup assistance programs.

“Our efforts have been extraordinarily successful in recent years and for every dollar the city and county put in, there is even more support from private businesses,” he said. “”The Chamber has a great team and it helps to be able to put the public and private efforts together.”

While "we" will always disagree on this issue, here is MY take. The more people who can "Sell" your community the better off you are in the long run. The problem occurs when the goverment needs (or wants) the MONEY more than they need to spend it on Salespeople. First you have to have a product to sell, then have folks who can promote it and help the goverment officials (who are already busy ruining this Country). I kinda look at the paying the Chamber as sorta like paying for advertising. While you can't see Dollar for Dollar spent, I would rather see my money going to folks who are trying to help the community grow with revenue than those goverment officials who just blow money on the Good Ole Boy System.

The real problem with this County is that the Chamber will remain un-affective till it has tools to work with. Just helping with "local events" is not getting the job done. But then again we are a County that spends alot of money on toys for the boys.

The most important ISSUE for this county today is any form of REVENUE! It don't matter to me who "SELLS" the point to anyone who will Bring Revenue into this county and if it cost the taxpayer today to make a better tommorow, that is fine with me. because right now the ONLY REVENUE this county has is the Taxpayer. You want fixed roads and Police protection and other "Goodies" like our "Fine Buildings" (and we got that) then we need someone to Sell this county besides Ted and the Gang. I mean look at his record on bringing in new business....lol...lol... It's worse than Mullis's...... Ted has ran off more than Mullis has brought in....lol...lol...lol..

But at the end of the day you have the real issue which is, what is the essential function of government? Any time you're forcing people to hand over money at the point of a gun, taxes, you're obligated to make sure that the money is spent only on those essential functions. The fact tha there is nothing in the Constitution allowing the federal government to give money for such things as promoting business tells us what the founders thought. The state of Georgia can permit this but you still have the moral question of why should you force someone to donate money for something that is not an essential function of government that they don't choose to willingly give on their own. I don't think you should.

But at the end of the day you have the real issue which is, what is the essential function of government?

I used to think (and still not sure) you have something personal against the Chamber. But having said that I understand the essential function of goverment speach. But you have to take in account (not just the Chamber) but ALL those things that uses taxpayers money to fund... It will affect Senior Citizens to Young Children. Why not in the same spill go ahead and demand that the Seniors close the Senior Citizen Building, The 4-feilds close and other things like the 4-H shut down and anything that is Taxpayer funded to help where there isn't enough money for the activity to make it on their own.
The ballfeilds and walking track and soccer feild moms would hang anyone by their toes (When and IF) you had the guts to call them OUT! For all the good that Senior Citizen Tax Exemption helped out Seniors, try telling folks to Fund the Vans and the Building themselves... Nope, can't have it both ways. While I agree that MUCH mismangement goes into ALL goverment funded activities, we will never be able to return to the Days of our Forefathers.

I once heard a Gentleman tell me that if we really still LIVED the Bible that we would still be wearing Sandels and riding Camels.

I wanted to give another example of why the Chamber SHOULD BE funded.

Let's say that John Deere is looking for a place to manufacture some new tractor coming out in 2014 and have called Dade County about the area. Who would they call? Ted could show them some of "Momma's Property" on the South End and tell them not to stink but he wouldn't have the time nor the Education on how to help with bringing them and their Jobs (Revenue) to this County. Sure he "Wears" a Cap and a Green a Yellow one on Press Day would look good for the pictures, but it would take a "TEAM" effort to get them into this County.. Oh Wait, I forgot I used Dade County as the sample. Nevermind...lol...lol....

I have nothing against the chamber. I may join it when I get the range open but I'll use my money to join and not my 83 year old mother's tax money. I think the chamber can do some good things but they should do it as a result of voluntary exchanges in the free market, not with money extorted from citizens who may NOT want to fund their operation.

I'd have no problem also converting the senior center and rec facilities to an independent authority. I tried to get support for that when I was in office and it didn't go anywhere. The hurdle to overcome is that as long as the government is willing to do it with money from the taxpayer's pocket then no independent non profit is going to be willing to step up to the plate to run and support it by having the people who use it pay some modest fee.

"Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else." Fredrich Bastiat

http://bastiat.org/en/government.html

I'd have no problem also converting the senior center and rec facilities to an independent authority.

but I'll use my money to join and not my 83 year old mother's tax money.


I have used two of your quotes to prove "MY" point.

I would rather use all of "our" taxpayer money so that your 83 year old mother don't have to pay 800.00 a year to be able to knit with her friends in an A/C building on a hot day and be able to call for a Senior Van when she can't get her "wonderful son" to take her to get her hair done and out to eat afterwards....lol...lol... In counties like this one, the Chamber, Rec feilds, and Senior Citizens Blds, cannot support themselves even with non-profit money from this community. We are truly a "bedroom" community and we have "other interest" to support other than what I think someone else enjoys. After all what's in it fer me???????

That last part is me being a Typical Dade Resident!

If people had to come out of their own pockets for the money for nonessential government services you would truly learn what those services are worth in the free market. As harsh as this sounds, it's not anybody's responsibility to take care of my family but me. Neither should I have to pay to take care of someone else's or pay for their kids to play ball or go to school. Do you think the school system would improve if every parent with a child in school had to come out of their own pocket for the tuition? Dang right it would. You always get more for your money when you're spending your hard-earned dollars than someone else's.

But one important point that is missed in this..... S.P.L.O.S.T. is a tax that "IS" voted on by the VOTERS and usually passed to use tax money to pay for such things as 4-Feilds and Senior Bldgs. and such as that. It's like I said earlier you can't have it both ways. People voted to do away with Senior School Tax but yet will vote to build new buildings using S.P.L.O.S.T that keeping up maintaince and utilities come from taxpayer money who don't have a kid in school. I understand that sales tax is used in S.P.L.O.S.T. and Property Tax is used in the upkeep, and you can purchase in another county (which most do) and even vote against it when it comes up, but somehow always passes in just about ever county in the State. Not sure why that is that folks worry about one tax but hearing a penny on a dollar (sales tax) doesn't bother them at all.

If people had to come out of their own pockets for the money for nonessential government services you would truly learn what those services are worth in the free market.

You would see very little being done in Dade County without the help from taxpayer money. Well even less than we see now.