BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON – Members of the Canton Chamber of Commerce can vote in person to merge with the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce at an information session on Monday, July 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Canton VFW Post, 34 Gouverneur St., or at a membership vote meeting on Tuesday, July 25, at 6:30 p.m. at the Grasse River Heritage offices, 30 Court St., Canton.

All members should have received a letter, either by post or email, explaining when and where to vote, background and rationale for the merger, benefits of having an integrated chamber, and what the merger with the county chamber means for Canton.

Members may also complete and mail or email a Proxy Authorization that will be included in the mailing. Proxy authorizations must be received before the July 25 Membership Vote meeting.

Members of the Canton Chamber of Commerce board of directors, along with Ben Dixon, executive director of the County Chamber, will present relevant information about the proposed merger and answer any questions from members.

Per New York State Statute, at least 10% of the membership of a 501(c)(6) organization like the Canton Chamber is required to vote, and a 2/3 majority vote of those who vote is required for the merger to go through. And, at least 10% of the vote as an active member of the Canton Chamber of Commerce is therefore requested.

Both memberships of the Massena and Ogdensburg Chambers have approved the integration. The Potsdam Chamber has opted not to participate in the merger. The County Chamber will conduct a vote in late summer.

Some benefits identified with an integrated chamber include community-specific initiatives and community-dedicated staff; gains on operational efficiencies, cost savings, and shared services; increased capacity of staff for community-specific programming: and consolidated budget and financials but with reserved allocations and accounts for community-specific initiatives.

For Canton, the community would benefit from increased chamber programming while preserving its community identity and Chamber activity would build off the unique resources and assets of the community, the letter explains.

An Integrated Chamber would have locally focused staff; that individual would be a full-time employee of the Integrated Chamber and located in the Canton office full-time. The employee would dedicate half their time specifically on Canton-specific programming, its business community, and chamber members in the Canton area.

Multiple staff from the Integrated Chamber will be able to apply their expertise in various areas (such as business development training, workforce development, economic development, or marketing) to the community and its chamber members as part of their county-wide role.

If approved, legal filings must be made to the NYS Department of State.

Questions may be addressed to Lenore VanderZee, a member of both the Canton Chamber and County Chamber board of directors, at vanderzeel@canton.edu .

Information will also be posted on the Canton Chamber website at cantonny.gov/chamber .