Participate in Illinois Chamber of Commerce's Tax Survey TODAY
With the phase-down of Illinois' income tax rates effective January 1st of this year, the state is now facing a significant budgetary shortfall for FY 15. As a result, taxation of services continues to be a topic of discussion as a means to raise revenue to address Illinois' fiscal problems. The Illinois Chamber has historically opposed a sales tax on services as yet another tax increase for the already over-burdened Illinois business community. We are now seeking your opinion as to whether a sales tax on services would be acceptable to you if coupled with real reductions in state spending and other meaningful pro-business reforms.
Please complete this survey
by EOB Friday, January 9. It should take about three
minutes to complete. Thank you.
Thank you for your input.
Your participation is valuable as we approach the new legislative session.
Best chamber practices: Mountain Home (Arkansas) event - Chamber The Art Odyssey artists' deadline approaches
The application deadline for anyone interested in being considered as a featured artist for The Art Odyssey 2015 is noon Jan. 12. Applications may be mailed to the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 488, Mountain Home, AR 72654, or delivered to the chamber office at 1023 U.S. Hwy. 62 E. Artists will be selected through a jurying process, and selected artists will be announced by Jan. 20.
The Art Odyssey, an annual self-guided tour of artists' studios in the area, is set for May 14-16. Artists in the Mountain Home area, including Baxter and surrounding counties, are encouraged to apply. Read more: Baxter Bulletin
Alexandria Chamber Event: Make Plans Now for 2015 Chairman's Community Reception
Get out your favorite bow tie or pearls, and join the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce in supporting Walter Clarke and the Chamber at the 2015 Chairman’s Community Reception & Annual Meeting Presented by Burke & Herbert Bank.The reception is set for Thursday, Jan. 22 from 6-9 p.m. at Ronald Reagan National Airport Historic Terminal A.
The event promises to be a lively evening of food, networking and excitement. Join the Chamber to wrap up 2014 and kick off an exciting new year as the Chamber welcomes Walter Clarke, vice president, Burke & Herbert Bank, taking the helm as the 2015 Board chairman. Read more: Old Towne Alexandria Patch
Batesville Chamber Partnership: Oldenburg Academy hosts Maverick Challenge
The Maverick Challenge, a business planning competition sponsored by Ripley County Economic Opportunities through Education by 2015, Franklin County Community Foundation, Ripley County Community Foundation, Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce and Oldenburg Academy, was hosted at OA Dec. 12, according to OA business teacher Jonathon Maple.
Community judges adjudicated the 11 students based on the business plans and products they created for the competition. OA was the only school to participate in the program from Ripley and Franklin counties.
The Maverick Challenge was started in 2008 by the Columbus Indiana Chamber of Commerce and has been a growing program since.Read more: Batesville Herald-Tribune
New spirit at Lodi/Lake Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce
Sunshine pours in through the windows of an office overlooking one of the busiest intersections in the city. The blinking neon “open” sign for the Main Streets Fun Express, a new business in Lodi, can be seen from the corner office.
Surrounding a tidy desk are likenesses of Susie the Duck and framed posters of past Lodi events like the Brew-B-Que. Working diligently behind the desk is the new Lodi/Lake Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Coordinator Mandy Sitzman.
Sitzman started in November and has worked hard to build relationships with the people and businesses in the community. Read more: Lodi Enterprise
Grand Rapids Chamber Board Evaluating Position on Road Funding Proposal
On the final morning of Lame Duck 2014, the legislature passed a compromise road funding package. It is complex and includes a number of components.
Revenue to fix the roads will come from shifting the sales tax on motor fuels from its current purpose to roads. The sales tax and the current 19-cents-per-gallon tax on motor fuels (the taxes paid at the gas pump) will be eliminated and replaced with a near-equivalent wholesale, percentage-based tax.
This will ensure ALL taxes paid at the pump will go to transportation. Estimates show that gas prices will increase about 3 cents.
Another $100 million will be raised from phasing out depreciation on vehicle registration fees and raising fee/fines on heavy trucks. In total, about $1.3 billion new revenue will be spent on roads each year.
The most visible component is the public will vote to raise the state sales tax from 6 to 7% on May 5.
This increase will replace (and add to) lost revenue from eliminating the sales tax on motor fuels that currently goes to schools and local governments. It will raise an additional $300 million for the schools, $130 million for public transit and $95 million for local governments. Read more: Grand Rapids Chamber
State chamber event: Mississippi House leader urges defeat of education amendment
The second-highest leader of the Mississippi House says legislators have fulfilled their promises to improve public schools. And, he's urging voters to defeat an education funding proposal in November.
House Speaker Pro Tempore Greg Snowden said Thursday if people don't like the Legislature's record, they should elect new lawmakers rather than amend the state constitution.
Snowden, a Republican from Meridian, spoke to business people who were at the Capitol for a state chamber of commerce event. Read more: MSnewsnow.com
Chamber Partnership: Iowa City makes list of easiest cities to find a job
Iowa City ranks No. 6 on the list of Top 20 "Easiest Cities to Find a Job" recently published by the website ZipRecruiter.com.
In a statement released Wednesday by the Iowa City Area Development Group, Christian Neeser, ZipRecruiter's outreach manager, said it is easier to find a job now than at any other time in the last six years.
ZipRecruiter works with employers to post to 50-plus job boards with one click while managing all of their job candidates in one place, according to the statement. To compile this list, ZipRecruiter looked at anonymized application actions from within its database of millions of job postings, calculated the ratio of job applicants to open positions, and ranked them according to the level of competition.
Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls were also listed in the Top 20.
DaLayne Williamson, workforce business services director for ICAD, said the group has invested in improving and introducing new career resources throughout last year to help job seekers and interstate commerce companies in the Iowa City area.
"We partnered with the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce and Diversity Focus to launch the new Corridor Connector program in November to better connect our employers with talent," Williamson said in the statement. "And, we continue to work with more than twenty regional employers on improving their workplace culture through our TEAM Centered Workplaces initiative as a means to become an employer of choice." Read more: Iowa City Press-Citizen
Chamber issue: South Dakota & Nebraska businesses preparing for minimum wage increase
As 2014 comes to an end, the new year will ring in a big budget change for businesses in Siouxland states that have minimum wage workers.
There
are two different wage laws taking effect as of January 1, 2015. One
will affect Nebraska employees, and a different one will affect South
Dakota employees, but both are wage increases. Back in November, voters
in South Dakota and Nebraska opted to raise the minimum wage for workers
across the two respective states.
In
South Dakota, the wage will raise from $7.25 to $8.50. In Nebraska,
it's a two year shift. It will go up to eight dollars in 2015, and in
January 2016 it will go up to nine dollars. Minimum wage workers in
Nebraska say they're looking forward to the extra cash.
"I
am excited. If it's going up, then our paychecks will be a lot more
bigger, so we can actually buy things we want and need instead of
struggling about it," Jerry Lu, Chinese Chef Employee said. However,
South Sioux City Chamber of Commerce officials say that in their
discussions with area businesses, small business owners are very
concerned about being able to pay their staff and maintain a profit.
Read more: KTIV 4
Friday: 157 Rules for Executive Success in Organization Management (and your Chamber of Commerce) by Patrick McGaughey
Friday: 157 Rules for Executive Success in Organization Management (and your Chamber of Commerce) by Patrick McGaughey
RULE
#40 Know why the grass looks greener
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