Rangely Chamber may soon gain a director

RANGELY I At its most recent meeting, the board of directors of the Rangely Area Chamber of Commerce (RACC) agreed to meet once more before creating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the chamber board and the Town of Rangely.
“This is as close as we have been,” RACC board member Tim Webber said of the two boards working together.
The RACC board will meet again March 21 to discuss a proposal presented by Rangely Town Manager Peter Brixius, before the two boards hold a March 22 work session before the regular town meeting that night.
According to the proposal, the MOU between the two boards would create shared staff time of a new “hybrid” part-time position functioning as an administrative support clerk for the town’s finance department and an administrative support person dedicated to the duties of the RACC. The town’s finance manager would also function as the RACC manager/director. Both positions would be employed by the town and duties would be determined by both boards.
The objective is for the chamber director to maintain a fully-staffed office eight hours a day, five days a week. Currently the RACC office, located in Town Hall, is only open part-time.
Brixius’ proposal lists three primary reasons for the MOU:
• The RACC and Town of Rangely frequently work together to promote and market the town to the general public and business community.
• Bringing the director into Town Hall creates an opportunity for greater visibility and contact between the RACC and its members.
• Utilization of additional staff hours paid by the Town, RACC and the Lodging Tax board, would allow the front counter area to be staffed by two employees and volunteers for a greater percentage of time during the week without added expense.