BDC approves Webster Bloom promotional raffle using $100 Webster Bucks; city staff to manage distribution details

The Business Development Commission approved using a $100 Webster Bucks prize as a promotional raffle tied to Webster Bloom activities and agreed a simple distribution method to limit administrative complexity.

Renee Tyler, city staff, outlined the Webster Bucks policy: commissions may request a sponsorship up to $100 in Webster Bucks (the requester pays half and the city matches). The program is funded from an annual allocation (discussed in the meeting as a typical $2,500 line item for these sponsorships), and funds refresh on the city’s fiscal cycle in July. Commissioners discussed logistics and privacy: the commission agreed that businesses that opt into the promotion will be entered into a business‑level raffle; the winning business would then select a single customer from its own collected sign‑ups to receive the $100 Webster Bucks certificate. That approach avoids central collection of customer emails.

Commissioners also discussed legal and privacy safeguards. Members agreed to require participating businesses to notify customers that signing up may share their email addresses with participating Webster businesses (not for sale), and staff said language can be drafted for sign‑up sheets to explain use and limited sharing. Renee noted the city’s budget position: the current fiscal year allocation is limited and the Webster Bucks fund will refresh in July.

The commission authorized the promotional arrangement for Webster Bloom and instructed staff to finalize participation procedures and the consent language for sign‑up forms. The commission also requested a short informational blurb for the next BDC newsletter explaining how businesses can participate.

Members said the promotion aims to drive foot traffic to participating shops during Bloom weekend (Mother’s Day weekend) and to provide an easy way for smaller businesses to capture customer contacts for ongoing marketing.