This week is Small Business Week in Indiana, and those who advocate for small businesses say local support could be vital to owners who are facing evolving economic pressures.
Christopher Emge, senior director of government and community relations with the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, said property tax reform and tariffs are creating a fear of the unknown.
“They’re living sort of week to week,” he said. “Sometimes trying to avoid the headlines and make news because they’re in a little bit of a pressure cooker, whether that’s going to mean we have tariffs one week and they’re taken back three days later.”
Monroe County is projected to earn $37 million less in property tax revenue over the next three years.
Read more: Local communities bracing for lost property tax revenue
Emge said this week is also a time for ideas and solutions to certain economic challenges. He has advocated for fewer restrictions on businesses looking to expand, which he said could attract more business ventures to Bloomington, thus adding more potential taxpayers.
“In order for us to get through this, we’re really going to have to expand that pie, as I’ve talked about, where we’re having more taxpayers in here,” he said. “People that are not only living here but working here.”