Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Now + PACC they said - 1

By this time PATA has now been in production of its Newsletters. The initial method of distribution was through the Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce (bulk mailing permit), as PATA had become a member on January 2001.

Chamber ?“Platinum?” members included the City of Pickerington, Berry & Miller Construction, and Hickory Lakes Recreation Area.

Quickly following the initial Newsletters the rules were ?“changed?” for all members on use of the bulk mailings.

Can you say ?“censorship?”?


Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce

Dear Investors:
On behalf of the 2001 Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce board
of directors, I am pleased to welcome our new Executive Director,
Kathy Lowrey. The hiring of Kathy as our first full time Executive
Director is an historic step for our organization. Please join us in
congratulating Kathy, her recently hired assistant Ginny Sholl, and the
Coordinator of Events and Communications Heidi West.
This step signals transition for our organization. It is the board's intent
that under Kathy's leadership we will review and evaluate mo~t
Chamber past practices and future directions. With this in mind, I
have appointed a policy and procedure task force made up of Kevin
Strait, Sara Rose, Woody Plants, Jill Ladrick, and me. If you would
like to join this group, please let me know.

Enclosed you will find a modification of the Chamber policy
pertaining to use of the bulk mailing permit. Many of you may be
affected by it, so please take a few minutes to review it.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Pickerington Area
Chamber of Commerce. Your support is significant and we appreciate
it. With the current transition in leadership, I would like to encourage each of you to evaluate how you may lend your talents to help further the services the Chamber offers as well as helping us fulfill our mission statement. Through teamwork, we will make progress happen and reach our potential.


Please contact Kathy or me, if you have ideas, suggestions or concerns. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,

Sue Rowland
Chairman of the Board


By Webmaster III

Now + PACC they said - 2

Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce Policy
Use of Bulk Mailing Permit
6/6/01
The Chamber's bulk mail permit belongs to the chamber. However, as a benefit ! to Investors, the Chamber may allow investors to use the permit if the following
criteria are met:
1. Only investors in good standing may use the permit, subject to the Chamber's
review and approval of the mailing. Upon approval, the Chamber staff will
sign PS Form 3602 - EZ on the line stating, ''Signature of Permit Holder or
Agent.'' Examples of mailings will be kept on file at the Chamber.
2. Because the bulk mailing permit may not leave the Chamber office, investors
may use the Chamber's conference room free of charge if the room is available. With instructions from staff, the investor will prepare the mailing
f and forms and take them to the post office.
3. With prior written permission, investors may scan the permit onto their material. Separate written permission must be obtained for each mailing on which investors desire to print a scanned permit. Mailings must be reviewed by staff and Form PS 3602 EZ must be signed prior to taking item to post office.
4. Material to be mailed out under the Chamber's bulk mailing permit must be
related to the investor's business and consistent with the Chamber's mission statement. Unauthorized use of the Chamber's bulk mail permit will result in suspension of the benefit. Investors may appeal the decision of the executive director to the executive board.
5. Investors may us the bulk mailing permit up to four times per year.
Subsequent use during the same calendar year will be $20 for each use.


By Webmaster III

Now + PACC enforcement

July 11, 2001

Bob Harding
PATA
PO Box 518
Pickerington, Ohio 43147

Dear Bob...
Thank you for your recent letter regarding use of the Chamber's bulk mailing permit. I also appreciated our past discussions regarding mission statements and approaches to fulfilling them. I have discussed your suggestions with the board of directors at our recent meeting and we have made the following decisions.

a. The board chooses not to include disclaimers with use of the bulk-mailing permit.
b. Chamber staff must sign the PS 3602-EZ prior to the mailing being taken to the post office.
c. Written permission must be given each time for use of the scanned permit, separate from signature on the PS 3602-EZ.
d. Since the policy took affect mid year, members can use the permit four times between June and December without charge.

Thank you for your interest in and commitment to the local community. Please let me know how I can further assist you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Kathy Lowery
Executive Director



By Webmaster III

PATA final response to PACC



August 15,2001
Ms. Kathy Lowrey
Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce
13 West Columbus Street
Pickerington, OH 43147


Dear Kathy,
Thank you for your letter dated July 11,2001 clarifying the position of the Chamber with regard to the use of the bulk-mailing permit. I appreciate your taking our concerns to the Board of Directors and discussing it with them. While I am disappointed that our organization is no longer free to use the bulk-mailing permit on an ''as needed'' basis, I understand that you have a different constituency to answer to.

The rules now in place for the use of bulk mailing have changed since PATA joined the Chamber, and the new policies do have an impact on the way we do business. Based on our previous conversations and correspondence, P AT A has begun to move in a different direction with regard to the distribution of materials, and will, in all likelihood, no longer need to use the Chamber's bulk permit. The restriction of prior written permission places an unacceptable level of ''supervision'' upon our organization and our ability to satisfy our clients. While we were initially disappointed with the Chamber's decision to put this policy in place, this action has caused us to form a new distribution network that will significantly increase our reach, while reducing our costs. I guess it all works out in the end.

Kathy I know we have the same goals for our community, and I look forward to being able to work with you on other projects in the future. As I said, thank you for taking the time to address my concerns.


Sincerely,
Bob Harding
PATA Contact Person


By Webmaster III