Colville Together Speaks at Chamber Luncheon

Rosemary Shaw of Colville Together spoke at the Colville Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on December 8. Ms. Shaw updated local chamber member on the Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program.

Colville Together is also part of the Washington State Main Street Program and partners with the City of Colville, Colville Chamber of Commerce, and Tri County Economic Development District. Colville Together is focused on a area of downtown from Third to Birch Avenue and from Oak to Wynne Streets. Colville Together utilizes the fourpoint approach to provide a framework for community driven, revitalization focused on economic vitality, design, promotion, and organization.

The incentive program provides business and occupation (B& O) tax credits for private contributions given to eligible Main Street Programs. It allows donating businesses to direct their taxes to stay in Colville and the donating business can receive a 75% tax credit the next year on B& O taxes. Additionally, Colville Together is a 501(C) 3 charity and the contribution may be eligible for a federal income tax deduction as a charitable contribution. Contributions are used for building improvement matching funds for downtown business owners, Heritage Court improvements, mutual grants, and façade grants.

Funds donated from local businesses to Colville Together for 2023 have totaled $ 43,000 and those donations will equal $ 32,250 in B& O tax credits to Colville businesses.

The Main Street programs have expanded quickly in 2021 Colville Together made their first Façade and Building Improvement grants of $ 3,000 each to Constructive Fun and the Redbird Boutique. In 2022 there were five grants totaling $ 13,000 to the Alpine

Theatre, Pour House, Main Street Floral, Allusions Salon, and Saundra’s Furniture.

Other efforts to help local businesses include the summer coupon books to encourage tourists to shop downtown, the restaurant bingo program to encourage regional dining in January, live music in Heritage Court, Spring and Fall clean up days to clean Heritage Court, sidewalks, spread bark, weed planters.

Information on the tax credit and how to sign up can be found at colvilletogether.org or call ( 509) 684- 4571 extension 112 to talk to a Colville Together representative.

The next upcoming event is Shop Small Saturday which will include a booth at Heritage Court handing out business passports and shoppers that get all the stamps in the passport will be eligible to win the grand prize donated by local businesses.