Wayland Coupons

Tax Reduction through Consumption

 

An old idea applied to a municipality


  1. 1.Everybody who participates wins.

  2. 2.Profits go directly to Wayland’s general fund

  3. 3.Residents can recoup purchase price by using only a few coupons

  4. 4.These are items you would likely spend money on anyway...like food.

  5. 5.Helps those businesses who sign-on, by increasing patronage

  6. 6.It builds town loyalty

  7. 7.Tax reduction through consumption means that by purchasing the book you will be reducing the tax levy of the town.

  8. 8.We can be the first town in Massachusetts to think out of the box on such an idea.

 

The Selectmen’s FY10 Ad Hoc Budget Advisory Committee has been meeting and working to find ways to reduce town expenses by finding new, different, untried, previously unthought of or unconventional ideas. 


Here is one out of the box idea that I call Wayland Coupons.


We know that Wayland is an intelligent, proud and public service oriented community.  One might say one of Wayland’s greatest assets is the loyalty of our residents towards our town, and our local businesses. People become involved in Wayland activities and donate their time and effort to Wayland because of loyalty to the town and to give something back Waylanders can be a powerful buying block, and if we could leverage that buying block, a Wayland product could generate significant dollars for the town. 


Hence, the idea: a branded Wayland Coupon Book, sold by the town, so Waylanders could buy products from Wayland businesses, and at establishments local to Wayland.


The core of the idea is not original; churches, synagogues, non-profits and local sports teams have previously done it.  What is original is that this well-established fundraising technique can realize its potential when applied to a municipality.


Many of the coupons would be for goods and services that we tend to buy anyway, from businesses that are local to Wayland residents.  A coupon book could provide ten times its purchase price in savings. Just two or three coupons might actually pay for the book. Competing merchants would want to participate so they would not be left out, and because itís a coupon book for their best customers, the residents of  Wayland.


With the opportunity to expand sales in these economic times, I think Wayland consumer leverage could be enormous and quite an incentive to encourage merchants to participate.


Wayland Coupon Books might be designed to target the funding of such projects as school athletics for a given season, cleaning up milfoil in a pond and/or funding the real estate tax circuit breaker programs for the elderly. These efforts would free up town money for other things.  The possibilities are enormous.


Different versions of these books might eventually be published, maybe seasonally. Our town website could provide a mechanism to buy them.  The coupons might generate $50,000 to $100,000 in new revenue.  Coupon books could become stocking stuffers and gifts; could potentially be sold via the Wayland Business Association, PTO and other civic groups.  If done right, a significant annual revenue stream could be established and sustained over long periods of time.  Buying a Wayland Coupon Book could become an object of status and civic loyalty. 


This new, viable idea will take some degree of effort. I propose that the Board of Selectmen appoint a committee to study this concept and I offer my time to serve on this committee.




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