2022 Archives - Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce

Minimum Wage Update: December 2024

by Leah Winkler | Dec 2, 2024 | Advocacy Activity, Featured, Message from the CEO

The Chamber continues to monitor and work closely on the minimum wage question. You may have seen recently that the Boulder City Council voted to increase the minimum wage for Boulder beginning 1/1/25. While we’ve now seen an increase in City of Boulder and Boulder County, our City Council has decided that more information is needed and that a decision to raise the minimum wage for next year will not be pursued. State law allows for local control of minimum wage but mandates that increases can only be implemented on the first of the year. This means that there will not be an increase for employers in the incorporated areas of Longmont in 2025. It’s important to note that businesses located in unincorporated areas around Longmont but in Boulder County will see a minimum wage increase requirement each year of 15% until 2030.

We agree with our City Council’s decision to not make any decision on this important question in haste. Earlier this year, the Chamber hosted focus groups with moderator, Sandi Seader, Assistant City Manager in which over 45 businesses owners /managers took part in. Many points of concern were raised in those meetings with many concerns centered around the current state of the economy and the significant rise in business operations costs. Since hosting the focus groups, I’ve had many conversations with businesses and from what I’ve heard, these concerns remain or have even grown since last spring. This is one reason the Longmont Chamber opposes the county’s increase because economic conditions can and probably will, change fast and we feel it is not wise to set a mandated increase each year until 2030.

Longmont has a strong entrepreneurial and small business scene. This is a big part of our local culture. I believe our City leadership understand this and has a desire to protect and promote this important part of our community. I believe also that they have understood the impact of a minimum wage increase on employers of all sizes and that quickly implementing a minimum wage would have many impacts, many unknown at this time without further study and information from the business community.

City Council has asked for the Chamber’s continued work in providing business feedback to them. We are planning to schedule community discussions in the first and second quarters of next year. Please let me know if you are interested to participate or have further questions about the status of the minimum wage work.

Scott Cook
CEO, Longmont Chamber

Holiday Member Specials 2024

by Leah Winkler | Nov 15, 2024 | Communication, Events, Featured

Support Local this Season

With the holidays rapidly approaching, we asked our members to submit their special holiday deals, events, and more. Take a look at what’s coming up this holiday season! Use the filter below to sort through events, experiences, and more.

Are you an active Longmont Chamber member in good-standing? Share your holiday special with us to be added to this list and our next Holiday Newsletter, scheduled to publish on December 5.

Submit Special

Representative McCormick on Colorado Proposition 129: Veterinary Professional Associate Initiative

by Leah Winkler | Oct 16, 2024 | Featured

For 40 years as a veterinarian, compassionate animal care has been my calling. As a State Representative, we have explored the idea of a Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA), in Prop. 129, for three years. After hundreds of hours researching, listening to experts, veterinary economists, the FDA, the USDA, universities, accreditation teams, veterinary liability providers, professional organizations of veterinarians and veterinary technicians, shelters, practice owners, rural folks and animal lovers everywhere…we heard serious safety concerns and barriers, concluding a VPA would be unable to truly help the animals we love.

Proposition 129 is in front of voters using the analogy of the human PA. We have seen the proposed VPA curriculum and that analogy is far from accurate. A VPA would be dangerously undertrained. VPA education would be 75% online, totaling only 4 semesters, with little hands-on learning and then a brief internship. Human PAs require 3 years of school plus thousands of in-person clinical hours with actual patients. Human PAs do not perform surgery. VPAs would be practicing veterinary medicine, including surgery, without competency measures to ensure consumer protection, putting animals and the public in harm’s way. This proposal is not comparable to what licensed Physician’s Assistants complete before practicing. Not even close.

Honestly, does it make any sense at all to create a new medical position by way of a ballot initiative? Circumventing careful in-depth analysis with input from experts and all who work so hard to help animals? On that point alone we should oppose. But let’s look further.

The proposed Masters program is also exploiting potential students who would be carrying up to $80,000 in debt with no evidence showing earning potential to pay off the debt. This job doesn’t exist anywhere on planet earth.

VPAs would not be legally allowed to prescribe ANY medications due to overriding Federal law. FDA has strict regulations on the prescribing of pharmaceuticals in animals, allowing only a licensed veterinarian to prescribe. This is to protect human public health and won’t change. How helpful is a VPA with limited ability to diagnose if they can’t legally prescribe medication? How would a VPA, doing surgery, prescribe an immediate need for that animal when doing so would be breaking federal law? No animal deserves that risk.

VPAs practicing medicine and surgery are not guaranteed malpractice insurance coverage, creating legal limbo. They would not “automatically” be covered under the supervising veterinarian’s liability insurance. Those who say that are misleading the public. VPAs would not ease the workload of veterinary teams and in fact will increase the work of the supervising veterinarian, needing the DVM to intervene to write every prescription.

Creating a new position without input from Registered Veterinary Technicians is harmful to those who are already a critical part of the team-based animal care. And Colorado just passed a great law that will help! HB24-1047 expands the scope of practice for RVTs and Veterinary Technician Specialists (VTSs), maximizing the ability to treat more animals with safe, accurate care while ensuring consumer confidence. A new position is not needed. I ran my own veterinary hospital as a small business owner and a VPA would not have helped my business, my clients or their pets.

No economic analyses support creation of a VPA. Zero data that this will lower costs or increase access to care. Prop 129 is a corporate effort aimed at increasing profits. Period. From a large corporation’s viewpoint, hiring VPAs may help lower overall payroll expenses. That’s it.

I am personally heartsick about this issue. I took a lifelong oath to protect animal health, welfare and public health. If Prop 129 was a measure that would actually help animals, then I would be all in. But it is not. Therefore I, and thousands of residents across our state, are opposed to Prop. 129. This is a move to bypass real problem solving and big money has gotten it on the ballot.

I feel a deep responsibility to educate voters about what is behind Proposition 129. It is not about lowering costs to consumers. It is not about increasing access to care. It is not about helping rural communities. It is not about helping our hardworking veterinary teams and it is certainly not about helping animals.

This is an attempt to hoodwink Colorado voters who love animals. Please don’t be fooled.

Please vote NO on Proposition 129.

Representative Karen McCormick
Colorado General Assembly

Supporting St. Vrain Valley School District’s 2024 Ballot Question 5C: Investing in Our Future Without Increasing Taxes

by Scott Cook | Oct 10, 2024 | Message from the CEO

As a proud advocate for the prosperity of our community, the Longmont Chamber of Commerce wholeheartedly supports the St. Vrain Valley School District’s 2024 Ballot Question 5C. 5C is an investment of $739.8 million into our schools and communities without an increase in property taxes.

This ballot measure is a pivotal opportunity to further enhance our nationally recognized school district and, by extension, our community’s overall quality of life. By acting now, we stand to save $200 million compared to postponing these necessary infrastructure upgrades for another five years.

The St. Vrain Valley School District has demonstrated financial transparency and responsibility with an increasing record of academic excellence, evidenced by having the highest graduation rate and the lowest dropout rate among all Denver Metro area school districts. The district’s reputation for innovation and cutting-edge technology training continues to set it apart, and the proposed bond will help ensure this progress continues. For example, 5C will fund 36 projects directly tied to innovation, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and advancements in science, engineering, and mathematics.

Furthermore, this bond will have positive impacts on our local businesses. Among the numerous improvements, the bond will facilitate the replacement of 100 HVAC units, implement 88 safety and security upgrades, enhance building efficiency through 113 projects, address 94 electrical and plumbing needs, and undertake 37 roofing projects. In addition, the bond will support the construction of five all new schools, creating jobs while expanding educational opportunities for our growing community.

The benefits of supporting Ballot Question 5C extend beyond immediate improvements. By investing in our schools now, we are ensuring a top-notch workforce for local businesses in the future and creating job opportunities and economic prosperity for our community in the present.

We urge our community members to support St. Vrain Valley School District’s 2024 Ballot Question 5C. This investment will enhance our schools, help train our future workforce and support our local economy. By voting yes on 5C, we are able to invest in our future and our local economy with no increase in taxes. It’s a win-win!

Longmont Chamber CEO Scott Cook

25th Annual Unity in the Community: Let’s Party Like it’s 1999

by Scott Cook | Jul 31, 2024 | Message from the CEO

This year, the Longmont Chamber will host its popular “Unity in the Community” event, now in its 25th year. I found that anniversary number hard to believe, but here we are. Unity started in 1999 with the name “Meet Your Elected Officials.” At that time, there were some disagreements between Longmont and neighboring communities and the Chamber stepped up to create an event that would foster a supportive environment for residents and elected officials of several communities to come together. Over time, the initial reason for hosting the event thankfully went away, but the event now with the name “Unity in the Community” is more relevant than ever.

A few years ago, Jessica Erickson, the former President/CEO of the Chamber’s partner organization, Longmont Economic Development Partnership (LEDP) invited author and speaker Bruce Katz to Longmont. Mr. Katz in his presentation and in his book “The New Localism” talks about the rise and growing influence of local leadership and the necessity of it in response to frustration many Americans have had with national leadership. The point here is not to dismiss national leadership especially when it is good, but to make a point that our involvement and connection at the local level is vital. Each year, after Unity is wrapped up, the Chamber staff will hear stories of new business connections made, non profit volunteers recruited, friendships reunited and more.

The Longmont Chamber hosts Leadership Longmont each year, a course for up and coming Longmont leaders, in each class, I’m reminded that Longmonsters know how to get things done. In the class, we meet with leaders across the public sector and many industries in the private sector. All of these leaders will tell you that it takes people coming together to accomplish great things and that’s what Unity in the Community does. Sure there are lots of great activities and food at Unity but at the end of the day, we will walk away a more unified and connected community ready to tackle more work together. If Mr. Katz is correct in his research, we in Longmont are well suited for the future; let’s keep it that way. I invite you to join us and our presenting sponsor High Plains Bank on August 23rd for the 25th Anniversary of Unity in the Community- we’re going to party like its 1999.

Longmont Chamber CEO Scott Cook