Business owners get behind 'contribution'

With a wide sampling of business owners in attendance, the support for instituting a voluntary 1 percent "contribution" program for Bigfork was near unanimous on Thursday night.

The meeting, held by a committee that was originally investigating the feasibility of a resort tax and has since moved to checking out other avenues, presented a proposal for a program that would have participating business owners tack on a 1 percent charge to each sale to enhance the Village.

Money raised by the program, called the "Bigfork Enhancement Contribution," would be spent to promote Bigfork or make improvements as voted by participating businesses or individuals.

"We hope to develop Bigfork into a vacation destination and attract eco-tourism, conventions and seminars," said Cheryl Richmond, who owns Sleeping Bear Lodge on Grande Avenue and heads the committee.

Richmond said estimates based on Whitefish's similar 1 percent assessment put first year earnings between $25,000 and $50,000.

Though the 1 percent assessment fits best with restaurants and lodging, other people wanting to participate — whether a business or individual — can pay an annual $250 fee.

"The bottom line is nobody's going to take care of us, so we have to take care of ourselves," Richmond said, in a sentiment that was echoed throughout the meeting.

Mary Jo Naive, who owns Merry Gem's on Electric Avenue, said "99.9 percent" of her customers wouldn't mind the extra 1 percent and said she was willing to sign on, which garnered a round of applause.

Other business owners followed suit, acknowledging that most tourists are in town from someplace with a sales tax anyway, so they're unlikely to be bothered by a small charge.

And, because the 1 percent is not mandatory, a customer could ask to have the surcharge removed.

But that should be a rare occurrence according to at least one resident.

Patty Blonda, who is not a business owner, said that explaining that the money goes toward helping the community should quell any visitor's misgivings.

"If the price is too high, then the value isn't clear," she said.

Richmond said the program is slated to start on June 1, with the first year acting as a kind of trial run. The money collected from merchants — there is no method of enforcement, "we'll just count on people being honest," Richmond said — will go into an account at Flathead Bank that is covered under the Community for a Better Bigfork's non-profit status.

"The community needs to act fast to get it moving," said Doug Averill, who has operated the Flathead Lake Lodge for 39 years. "Otherwise, we're going to miss the summer."

A shared concern among some of the 50 or so people present at the meeting was becoming 'synthetic" in the manner of Telluride, Colo. or Jackson Hole, Wyo. and losing the unique, quaint characteristics that give Bigfork a special identity.

Peter Drowne cited work he'd done taking pictures for a Canadian town for their advertising literature and their desire to emulate Bigfork's downtown district and character.

"People are willing to spend a lot of money to get what we have here," he said. "We don't want to become synthetic."

An initial committee will be set up to create bylaws and accounts, but Richmond said after the first year the members will vote in a representative committee to decide how to spend the money.

Whitefish, for example, has brought in a professional public relations firm to attract regional and national media attention and promote the city. Though that idea specifically met with some resistance at the meeting, business owners agreed that promoting Bigfork, especially during the winter months, was imperative.

"We're all busy trying to keep our businesses alive," Richmond said. "Eighty-two percent of my business comes between mid-June and mid-August. We're all in this together."