{"id":2458909,"date":"2020-05-27T22:50:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T04:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=326407"},"modified":"2020-05-27T22:50:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T04:50:00","slug":"basalt-hopes-to-spur-business-with-20-vouchers-for-residents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/basalt-hopes-to-spur-business-with-20-vouchers-for-residents\/","title":{"rendered":"Basalt hopes to spur business with $20 vouchers for residents"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"668\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/basaltcovid-atd-052720-1-2-1024x668.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/basaltcovid-atd-052720-1-2-1024x668.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/basaltcovid-atd-052720-1-2-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/basaltcovid-atd-052720-1-2-768x501.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/basaltcovid-atd-052720-1-2-1536x1001.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/basaltcovid-atd-052720-1-2-2048x1335.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Tim Keeffe sits in a booth during lunchtime at the Two Rivers Cafe in Basalt on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Basalt officials plan to launch a program in June to spur sales at restaurants and retail shops.<\/strong><br \/><em>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Basalt town government will take a modest first step at economic stimulus and consider a more ambitious program later this summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Town Council on Tuesday night voted 7-0 to approve a modified Basalt Bucks program, revived from the Great Recession in 2009. That will entail mailing a $20 voucher to each household in town and urging residents to spend it at participating restaurants and retail shops in Basalt. The vouchers won\u2019t be good at grocery stores.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Council members kicked around numerous modifications but ultimately decided to get something going fast to encourage spending.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cUnless anybody strongly objects to what\u2019s being presented \u2014 I know I don\u2019t \u2014 I say we roll with it,\u201d Councilman Glenn Drummond said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Mayor Bill Kane suggested two weeks ago to revive Basalt Bucks as an economic stimulus. He was town manager during the Great Recession and oversaw an initiative that awarded shoppers with a $30 voucher if they produced receipts showing they had spent at least $300 in Basalt establishments. The vouchers could be spent at participating establishments and proprietors could redeem them for cash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kane said he liked that approach because it leverages public money to encourage spending.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYou\u2019re essentially buying loyalty from the customers that buy the bucks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But what worked during a recession in 2009 won\u2019t necessarily work during a pandemic in 2020, when social distancing and avoiding contact is advised.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThat\u2019s a downside of my original notion,\u201d Kane acknowledged.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In 2009, shoppers had to come into Town Hall and present their receipts to get their Basalt Bucks. Shop owners and town staff also interacted. The program also invited people from outside the midvalley to visit Basalt, Kane noted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt relied on a lot of out-of-town spending,\u201d Kane said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have COVID in those days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Town Manager Ryan Mahoney said the staff favors a more \u201chomegrown\u201d approach where the vouchers are mailed directly to residents. That could encourage more widespread spending by a more diverse cross-section of town residents, he said. Plus, it reduces exposure for residents and town staff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhen we were thinking this through, we thought bringing people into Town Hall might not be the best idea,\u201d Mahoney said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The $20 can be used for purchases inside a store or restaurant but can also be used for take-out food or products for people still leery of entering businesses, he said. Also, mailing the vouchers rather than asking people to produce receipts removes a layer of requirements.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe would reach out to all businesses and get them to sign off,\u201d Mahoney said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Councilman Bill Infante said the program didn\u2019t provide enough of a stimulus. He said $20 buys a drink or two at local restaurants. He suggested immediately offering a voucher for $100 or $120 at a discounted price.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe restaurants are bleeding and hemorrhaging now. They need cash now,\u201d Infante said. \u201cI would argue for greater impact sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Mahoney countered that offering people $20 will spur additional spending. The program isn\u2019t perfect, he conceded, but it is a good start.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kane said time is of the essence. He urged the council to approve the staff\u2019s proposal and be prepared for a possible expansion of the program later in the summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Mahoney said after the meeting that vouchers would be mailed to about 2,400 addresses in the Basalt area by mid-June. Additional vouchers will be reserved for handing out at a scaled-back public events series that will start June 17.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The cost of the stimulus program will be about $43,000, assuming about a 75% use rate, he said. The expenditure includes printing and mailing. Basalt has a significantly smaller budget than other towns in the valley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kane said larger vouchers could be considered next summer, if not sooner.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe economic downturn unfortunately isn\u2019t going to be short-lived,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:scondon@aspentimes.com\">scondon@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/basalt-hopes-to-spur-business-with-20-vouchers-for-residents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tim Keeffe sits in a booth during lunchtime at the Two Rivers Cafe in Basalt on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Basalt officials plan to launch a program in June to spur sales at restaurants and retail shops.Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Basalt town government will take a modest first step at economic stimulus and consider a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 06:19:59","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458909\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}