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Commission recommends Grayslake extend contract with chamber

Grayslake trustees are being asked to extend a contract with the local chamber of commerce to handle special events, marketing and other duties — a move projected to be cheaper than having a full-time village employee in charge.

Members of the village's advisory economic development commission are recommending the Grayslake Area Chamber of Commerce should be paid $85,552 in the first leg of a three-year contract extension that would begin May 1. The village would pay another $20,000 to the chamber for special marketing services.

Long known for contracting services in an effort to conserve money, Grayslake is projected to save about $9,200 with the chamber deal over what it could cost for full-time village employees to perform the same 3,000 hours of work over a year. The village calculation came based on an executive assistant pay rate of roughly $32 an hour.

The village board, which gets the final say, is expected to vote on the tentative contract extension April 21.

Steve Lawrence, a chamber of commerce board member who serves on the economic development commission, ticked off a number of benefits provided to the village in 2014 before asking for support at a meeting this month.

“Renew the contract,” Lawrence said. “We're the best deal in town.”

In an annual report to the economic development commission, Lawrence said the proposed contract calls for the chamber to continue organizing Grayslake's four major events: Summer Days, Arts Festival, Business Trick or Treat and the holiday tree-lighting ceremony.

In 2014, the chamber also helped the Exchange Club of Grayslake with a craft beer festival and the village's Color Aloft balloon extravaganza that attracted about 4,000 visitors in five hours to Central Park downtown, Lawrence said.

Community outreach duties handled by the chamber last year included offering up to five $1,500 grants to Grayslake businesses that hired a high school intern. On the economic development end, the chamber maintained a database connected with such activity.

Economic development commission Chairman Phil Harris called the proposed contract a “no brainer.”

“The chamber is probably one of the best deals we have going in terms of return on investment,” Harris said.

  Summer Days is one of the major events organized by the Grayslake Area Chamber of Commerce. Village board members are expected to vote April 21 on a proposed three-year contract extension with the chamber. George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com, 2014
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