Exciting Business Program
Now Available to Porterville Businesses
FREE OF CHARGE!
The City of Porterville and the Porterville Chamber of Commerce have joined together to announce the launch of our citywide Customer Shopping Appreciation Program, the new Shop Porterville First campaign. For six months, beginning August 2009, the program will take advantage of the upcoming holiday sales season. The Shop Porterville First campaign is designed to increase foot traffic and encourage area residents and business owners to shop locally for products, enjoy local restaurants, and use local services BEFORE going out of town. We want customers and businesses to know they can find it here. When we shop local, we invest in the businesses that support our community and its tax base - we all benefit!
The Shop Porterville First campaign is open to all businesses within the Porterville city limits. Businesses sign up to participate free of charge - yes, it's FREE ADVERTISING! The Shop Porterville First campaign will supply the start up material and entry box for the customers to drop off their entry forms. So what do the monthly winners get? Gift certificates to shop at the business at which they entered the drawing - yours! Yes, we're giving 'money' to YOUR customers and supporting YOUR business.
Let's join together in this effort to promote local shopping, support our community and give your customers a big THANK YOU! Call the Chamber office right away to register. It's definitely a winning program for everyone, and it's free.
Sign Your Business Up Today!
784-7502
The City’s Business Assistance Program provides funding of
$35,000 per every NEW job created by the project that is funded
by the City. These funds may be provided to the Business by a
low-interest loan. Determination of the loan is made by a project
basis, utilizing a variety of criteria to determine the level of assistance
that may be provided to the business.
At least 51% of the full-time equivalent permanent jobs created
must be made available to moderate-income individuals. A Non-
Financial Employment Plan will be made a part of the Assistance
packet. New jobs must be listed with the California Employment
Development Department and/or Tulare County Workforce Investment
Department.
The City’s Revolving Loan Fund Program is funded by Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. CDBG funds are
federal dollars; therefore, construction projects using CDBG funds
are subject to prevailing wage.
Limited funding is available and priority will be given to projects
creating employment opportunities and/or benefits to the community.
Approval for the use of these funds is subject to the
Community Development Financial Review Committee.
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The City of Porterville is excited to learn that soon local businesses will, once again, be able to take advantage of the State’s Enterprise Zone incentives.
On Wednesday, August 19, 2009, the California Department of Housing and Community Development announced conditional designation of the Sequoia Valley Enterprise Zone, which will include the cities of Dinuba, Exeter, Lindsay, Farmersville, Porterville, Tulare, Visalia, Woodlake, and parts of the unincorporated communities in Tulare County. The Sequoia Valley Enterprise Zone is one of 5 new zones that were announced. The others are Hesperia, Pittsburg, Sacramento, and Taft. The new Sequoia Valley Enterprise Zone will replace the existing Business Incentive Zone (BIZ), California’s only Targeted Tax Area, which is due to expire in 2012. In 1990, the City of Porterville was one of the first Enterprise Zones in California. The Porterville Enterprise Zone expired in October 2006 and, at that time, the City did not reapply for a new zone designation, instead opting to take full advantage of the BIZ. However, the new Sequoia Valley Enterprise Zone will broaden the types of businesses that can take advantage of state and local incentives, which were restricted to certain manufacturing and transportation businesses under the BIZ.
Porterville City Manager John Lollis stated, “The designation of the Sequoia Valley Enterprise Zone is an integral component to our efforts to recruit and retain business in Porterville. Once the final designation is received, local businesses will be able to benefit from tax credits, including hiring credits for employees”. State benefits of the program include hiring tax credits, sales and use tax credits, and preference points on state contracts. Local benefits include a permit fast tracking and development fee deferral programs.
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