To the editor:
Times are tough, and businesses are struggling. Small businesses are the financial reason the official city of Langley exists — without the money paid by small businesses to the city, the city would simply not need to exist.
Think about it: 1,100 residents do not need an extensive sewer and water department, roads department, police department, planning department or a $4.4 million budget.
If not for the small businesses within Langley’s tax base, those 1,100 residents would pay their share to Island County, and Island County would manage those public services. There are not enough people paying to support the city departments for water, sewer, police, city employees, road work, maintenance, planning and administration.
It is the businesses within Langley’s tax base that pay the lion’s share of the City of Langley finances. Every small business dollar counts, and every small business counts. The city cannot pay its bills with just 1,100 residents; the city depends on a healthy small business community to survive.
Empty storefronts, empty office buildings; these are symbols of not only our dour economy, but also are symbols of a city that needs to figure out a way to plug those holes with the kinds of businesses that can flourish, the kinds of businesses that can help support the city financially.
There comes a time where the focus needs to be recognized. Today, the focus needs to be about the money needed to run this city. The city needs to consider that its job is more than just administrative — this city needs to go into high gear, take some marketing and sales training classes, and go out and cold call for business.
Cold calling. Every salesperson in the world knows these dreaded words, and I think we all understand the concept. Cold calling isn’t really any fun, but it’s one of the building blocks of a solid, successful business: getting new business. Call it what you will, but Langley needs new businesses, and the best way to get them is to start calling those you already know … and we all can help. Warm calling.
City of Langley, you need an advertising and marketing campaign, and a budget.
I’d suggest starting a display ad in the Puget Sound Business Journal. We have simply got to fill those empty storefronts, those empty office spaces.
Every empty building means lost income that supports the city. Our city cannot afford to lose any more small businesses, and the income they generate, for the city and the community’s benefit.
The small businesses of Langley are the “backbone of the community,” and the financial backbone of the city budget itself. These small businesses include all businesses in Langley’s tax base, not just the downtown Langley businesses. Langley has many successful in-home businesses, and those voices matter too.
Every committee that is working on Langley city projects needs to be a mix of business representatives as well as residents, and that mix really should be at least 50/50, perhaps it should be 60/40 — 60 percent business people and 40 percent residential people. Business is that important to the city budget. I think it’s time for the city to go door to door to local businesses and recruit business people to sit on every single committee that is working on Langley issues.
I realize how difficult it is to participate in committee work when you own and run a small business, and that’s also why I feel that the city should consider hiring an outside planner to help finish the subdivision work so there is no more moratorium. Same thing if the comp plan isn’t entirely finished.
Any city work done by committees must represent both businesses and residents.
Business people who have hesitated to join committees because they don’t live in Langley need to be told, loudly and clearly, that they are welcome to participate in the committees, that their participation is necessary.
Leanne Finlay
Langley
