Nokomis Chamber met for May meeting

May 22, 2024 70

NOKOMIS — The Nokomis Chamber of Commerce met in the Nokomis City Council chambers for its bimonthly meeting on Monday, May 20.

Present at the meeting were President Dr. Scott Doerr, Vice President Talon Burton, Secretary Michele Orsborn, Treasurer Ed Chausse, Directors Kurt Aumann and JoAnn Keele, and Chamber member Jake Leonard of Heartland Media Group of Central Illinois and Eastern Missouri.

A motion to approve minutes from the March 18 annual business meeting was approved with a motion from Aumann and second by Chausse.

Chausse presented the latest treasurer’s report, which revealed certificates of deposit totaling $45,339.84 and available funds in the checking account for $2,488. The report was approved following a motion by Burton and second by Keele

Dr. Doerr presented a follow-up report, citing that the spring city-wide rummage sales went well.

An update was presented regarding the upcoming dodgeball tournament during the Nokomis Homecoming, as well as the car show. Those respective events will be on July 13 and July 14.

Sign-up packets are available at either the Nokomis CUSD #22 unit office or at the First National Bank of Nokomis. No specifics were mentioned regarding the deadline to submit the sign-up packets. Pattern Energy will be the exclusive prize sponsor for the dodgeball tournament.

Regarding the car show, Chausse is currently working on collecting prizes for the event.

Donation requests

In other business, several donation requests were discussed for approval. Among them were a $500 donation for the fireworks display at Nokomis Homecoming and a $50 Brave Sponsorship for the Arrowhead Open golf tournament. (Due to their roles in the Nokomis Homecoming Association, Chausse and Orsborn abstained from voting on the fireworks donation.

Another donation request was from the Downtown Nokomis Association, which was asking for the Chamber to donate supplies for its sausage and pancake breakfast for its Breakfast with Beer Bellies event in downtown Nokomis on June 15. The Chamber needs more information about the request, so Dr. Doerr stated that he would reach out to the Downtown Nokomis Association and President Trever Loafman for additional information.

The Chamber will be sponsoring two flag kits for the newly-painted light poles along Illinois Route 16/State Street. The total cost for the kits will be $140.

A motion to approve all donations, except for the Breakfast with Beer Bellies event, was made by Burton and seconded by Aumann. The outstanding donation will likely be an executive decision after more information is made available to the Chamber.

Nokomis event updates

A brief report was made on the upcoming Movies in the Park event this summer that the Chamber had agreed to terms on sponsorship for. However, no additional information has been made available as details are still being worked out, including a blanket license to allow all organizations to use it year-long compared to a per-showing basis or for only a few months a year. Chausse said he would reach out to the organizers for an update.

An update was given for the 2024 Snowkomis celebration, set for December 13 and 14. The Chamber has once again reserved The Vault for that weekend to host the vendor show. However, a possible second venue may need to be in consideration as there were more interested vendors than the available space would hold. The carriage rides will also be returning, as the contract is on its way.

The next meeting of the Nokomis Events Planning Group will be June 12 at 6:30 p.m., so there should be updates on how planning is coming along for this year.

Also discussed was a potential change to expand the Nokomis Chamber of Nokomis to the Greater Nokomis Chamber of Commerce to include the surrounding areas of Coalton, Fillmore, Ohlman, Wenonah, and Witt. There was also some discussion that if the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce did in fact fold operations, then their businesses should be invited as well.

A motion was made by Aumann to strike any and all geographic boundaries from the bylaws, allowing anyone to be a member, regardless of geographic locale, and it was seconded by Leonard.

Along with that change, Dr. Doerr noted that the Chamber will need to refile for 501(c)3 status, attain a new FEIN number, and secure a new sales tax exemption certificate. When asked why the Chamber had to refile, it was noted that tax returns were not filed over several years, and it likely resulted in an expired status with the Internal Revenue Service.

Another discussion involved reaching out to leaders from other organizations on how they can all work together to help the greater Nokomis area make improvements going forward.

With no other business to discuss, Burton motioned for adjournment, and it was seconded by Aumann.

The next Chamber meeting will be on Thursday, July 11 at 6 p.m. inside the city council chambers.

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Jake Leonard

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.