EVERETT — An Everett Chamber of Commerce focused within the city would begin operating next year under a plan to give seed money to get it going.
Tyler Chism, a city coordinator, said the Everett business community is clamoring for a local chamber.
He also said a city chamber would help answer the frequent inquiries City Hall receives from businesses big and small that are interested in moving in and starting up shop.
City staff plan to allocate $600,000 of its remaining federal COVID-19 recovery dollars to launch it. The City Council is being asked to approve this plan this week.
Everett would have the Everett Chamber get on its own two feet, and slowly cut back how much it funds the new chamber over the next few years, Chism said.
City Council members said they want to ensure the chamber will represent business interests from all parts of Everett.
Both downtown and the area around Everett Station have business promotion groups geared for aiding businesses — The Downtown Everett Alliance and the Everett Station District Alliance. Those are funded by way of a local area business tax.
Everett previously had a chamber, but it and two other chambers consolidated together to forge the Economic Alliance Snohomish County regional group.
Chism suggested previously that a local chamber is needed because small businesses in Everett haven’t felt they’re getting the same level of attention that’s given to the region’s movers and shakers such as Boeing or Fluke Electronics along Evergreen Way.
