Dear Editor,

January is traditionally the time to make new resolutions for the coming year. I want to encourage everyone to make one resolution that will help our local economy whether or not we get a prison or new industries or continue to struggle as we have been. That resolution is to make more purchases in Jenkins County.

Locally owned businesses support the local economy. Shopping in Burke, Richmond, Screven, or Bulloch supports the economy in those counties; it does absolutely nothing for our local economy. Money spent in Jenkins County helps provide the local city and county governments with funds to provide the necessary services we take for granted: law enforcement, fire protection, emergency services, road maintenance, library, hospital, courts, health department. The less money our governments receive from sales taxes, the more they have to rely on property taxes to supply our needs.

I’m not advocating shop “local only” but “local first.” Many necessities are not available in Millen, but if what you need is here, resolve to make shopping locally your first option. Millen’s business owners are competing in a tough business market. Competition comes not only from businesses around town and in neighboring counties but, thanks to the Internet, from across the nation and around the globe. Trying economic times have caused consumers to spend less and search for perceived bargains at large chain stores. Local merchants have really felt the crunch; several businesses in Millen have closed because of job losses and the economy.

There is a national movement underway to support local small businesses called The 3/50 Project. The idea is simple: if half of the employed U.S. population chose three locally owned independent businesses they would hate to lose, and then spent a combined total of $50 a month with them, it would have a major impactgenerating an estimated $42.6 billion of revenue annually (www.the350project.net). All it takes to implement the idea in Jenkins County is for you to choose three local businesses you want to keep and each month spend a combined total of $50 with those three. Even a small amount of spending can make a big difference to our local economy.

What is important is our helping our small businesses. They are vitally important to our community and to our economy.
Art Johnson
Millen Better Hometown
Millen Downtown
Development Authority