FAIRHOPE – A proposal to support a website for local businesses proposed by Mayor Karin Wilson failed Thursday when no member of the City Council would make the motion to bring up the action.
The proposal called for $6,000 to be paid to the Dylan Spencer company for work on the website Fairhope Local.
Wilson said the website would provide information about local businesses. She said the site would start out with information related to the COVID-19 outbreak but could later be expanded to promote Fairhope merchants around the city.
“It’s mostly supporting local business and making sure that they can have up to date information where businesses can put that information because it’s so hard to disseminate and this is going to be a comprehensive list so you can sort it by category,” Wilson said. “We really want every single business in Fairhope to have their place where they can enter their information.”
Council members questioned whether the city could provide the information on the Fairhope municipal website and how the new program would differ from information now promoted by groups such as the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce or the Downtown Merchants Association.
During the meeting, which was held through internet connections, Council President Jack Burrell said he was receiving text messages from remote audience members questioning the proposal.
“I’m getting some merchants texting that they already have a free Facebook page that tells that,” Burrell said. “They also commented that’s what the Merchants Association does too, so what is this doing that they’re not doing right now?”
Wilson said the chamber and association limit their promotions to members. The new website would be open to all businesses.
“Other business, like the Eastern Shore Chamber and the Downtown Merchants, these are member based,” Wilson said. “This is going to be free to everybody. We still continue to help and promote both of those other worthy organizations, but this is about the city making sure that we’re doing our part to give them access to something that could be spread wide and, like I said, it’s going to be free and hopefully contribute to our sales tax dollars.”
She said the Fairhope Local website could be reached from the city website by a link, but that the two programs were not compatible.
City attorney Marcus Manning said he was concerned about using city funds to promote private businesses.
“I’ve got some concern about public money for private purposes and private businesses,” Manning said. “I haven’t looked at the resolution, haven’t seen it. I understand the COVID stuff, but this sounds like it’s going way beyond just a restricted COVID notification.”
Council members also questioned who would own and control the site.
Wilson said the site domain name would be owned by Fairhope, but merchants could provide their own information about businesses.
After about 15 minutes of discussion, Burrell asked if any council member wanted to make a motion to approve the funding. No member made a motion and Burrell said the proposal failed.
Wilson said she could not understand why the council would not support the project.
“This is weird y’all. I really think that because you have an idea that doing this would make, what, me look good or me personally have a success,” Wilson told council members. “That’s what I’m hearing. What is it about a website that supports small business that other cities are doing that you have a problem with?”
