By Sara Beth Williams–
The local Chamber of Commerce is seeking input from business owners and representatives regarding a new city-wide Business Watch program that is being implemented in partnership with the Police Department and the City of Citrus Heights.
Organizers say the program is intended to create a network of businesses that can share information, build relationships, and work together to address safety concerns and improve business resiliency.
In mid-September, the Chamber met with about 20 different business owners over two days, including owners representing retail, restaurants, business services, and professional services, along with city officials, dignitary representation, and others.
Several business representatives within the Sunrise Marketplace were in attendance on Wednesday, including Executive Director Kathilynn Carpenter.
The purpose of the meetings was to gather information and hear from the business community at large about what they may find useful from the program, the Chamber said following the meetings.
According to the Chamber, future Business Watch meetings will allow business owners, managers, property owners, and employees to connect directly with Chamber and City representatives and members of the Citrus Heights Police Department.
In the beginning stages of structuring the program, the Chamber is seeking input from local businesses, with the informational meetings being part of the early steps in the process.
Business owners and representatives who were not able to attend the informational meetings and are interested in giving feedback to help inform the Business Watch program are encouraged to fill out the survey here. The survey is also still open to those who attended the meetings as well.
The Business Watch program will be broken up into 26 smaller districts, according to the Chamber, which will be designed to allow for smaller meeting sizes. Districts were created based on the number of active businesses in the city. The Chamber wants to hold regular Business Watch meetings every other month, and ideally hold individual district meetings in between regular Business Watch meetings.
Planned program features include crime prevention education, safety resources, networking opportunities with neighboring businesses, and collaboration with city departments on issues affecting the local business community. Organizers also hope the meetings will give participants a forum to identify common challenges and work together on potential solutions.
An official date for the program’s launch has not yet been announced.
