A Mid-Summer Check-In from the Chamber

Sales tax, drought, and what to do about the season ahead

The Fourth and Cattlemen's Days are behind us, the rest of summer isn't

Our two biggest early-summer draws have come and gone, and we're glad for the business they brought. There's still a full season ahead, and we're hoping it keeps supporting local businesses, though that support hasn't landed evenly for everyone so far.

What we don't know is what the rest of summer holds. It's been a dry one, our irrigation ditches could run dry within weeks, and Blue Mesa is at historic lows, with boat ramps already closing. Fires are burning around the region, and the Visitor Center has been fielding worried calls. Almost every year within memory has brought its own version of something, a pandemic, a bridge closure, now fires and drought. None of it is something a business can control, but it's worth planning for, especially if your business is tied to the river or the reservoir.

Here's what the numbers show

Gunnison sales tax revenue is up 4.41% year to date, per the City's April report, the most recent available. April is still spring here, so it's more a read on the shoulder months than the summer stretch this newsletter is about, and April alone barely moved, up just 0.67%. Food services and drinking places were flat too, up 0.3%, which given rising costs is closer to a decline once you factor in what it actually takes to run those businesses now.

Food and beverage retailers, the largest sector in the city's tax base, were down 14.5% year over year, while general merchandise and gasoline posted strong gains. That's mostly grocery spending, and while it reflects locals too, it's likely visitor spending pulling back the most. Worth noting, sales tax is now reported using state NAICS codes, with businesses self-selecting their classification, so some of this year's swing may reflect that change rather than real shifts in spending.

None of this accounts for inflation, so a flat number can still mean less real value than a year ago. If spring felt slower than the topline number suggests, the market was slower, April's own numbers back that up. A positive topline number doesn't tell the whole story, and we'd rather you have the full one.

Full report at gunnisonco.gov/salestax.

What you can control, come talk resources tomorrow

None of this is up to you, the snowpack, the smoke, the reservoir levels. What is up to you is whether you've got a plan before disruption hits, and that's what tomorrow’s Coffee & Conversation is about. Callie Koch from the Small Business Development Center joins us to talk business preparedness. These have been growing every month, so if you haven't made it out yet, this is a good one to start with. If you've never worked with the SBDC, it's worth changing that. They offer free resources most businesses here don't know about until they need them, and Callie will cover what's available for resiliency planning.

Wednesday, July 15
8:30 to 9:30 am
The Hub, 1000 N Main Street

What an outside set of eyes sees here

Here's the thing worth holding onto while all that uncertainty sits in the background: when guests do show up, they love it here. Gunnison hosted its invite-only Balloon Rally over the Fourth of July, and I spent time with the pilots this year. Their take on Gunnison was refreshing. They talked about the flying, the views, just being here, and I heard plenty of good things about local businesses too, restaurants, shops, the people they'd met around town. Not one of them brought up the things we're often hardest on ourselves about. It was good to be reminded what an outside set of eyes sees in our community.

Come with questions Wednesday, or just come. And if you're noticing anything about this season in your own business, good or bad, we'd love to hear about it.

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