Any resident of an Idaho community, population under 10,000, will relate to what I am going to attempt to describe in this column. This problem has become all too common in all corners of rural America. City councils in towns like Preston, Montpelier, Soda Springs, Malad and even Pocatello are wrestling with the frustrating issue of how to bring business to town and how to keep it there.

The most common, well-intentioned, sincere questions posed to me are similar but different: “Why is our main street empty?” “Why can’t we get a second grocery store?” “Why did you guys turn down Walmart from coming to town?” Let me answer those questions one at a time.

First, my opinion as to the empty buildings on Main Street is that many of them are simply old. They need major upgrades and repairs in order to be operational and aesthetically suitable for business. If the petitioner of this question grew up here in Preston, as I did, they remember the thriving Saturdays of pedestrians spending their money at the retailers run by their neighbors. They remember having to search for a parking spot and the socialization that came with a trip to town. For a business owner to make a capital investment in a 60 to 70-year-old building is a risk many just do not dare endeavor. Some have jumped in the pool, and I bless their hearts for doing so. But they struggle to stay in business. The second and most accurate part of my answer to that first question is one word: “Patronage.” The adage from “Field of Dreams” may not apply in this situation. “Build it, and they will come… but proceed at your own risk.”

By patronage, I refer to all of us spending our dollars locally. Any business worth its own spit does its market research before investing. They know the demographics and shopping habits of the residents. More than one business has expressed interest in Preston, but as they become more familiar with those metrics…plans change. I have lost count of how many times I have heard their representative say, “We love Preston! I have been there to your rodeo and ballgames, but you’re just not big enough for us to recoup our initial investment.”

Patronage requires people. Our population has definitely increased over the past few decades. When I graduated from PHS in 1980, the sign on the outer limits of town read: 3300; now it says 5519. It has been trending each census, but not high enough to satisfy those pesky statisticians in the boardrooms. In discussions meant to recruit business, I have pointed out the fact that Preston will draw not just city residents but all of Franklin County and even a bit of neighboring counties. This raises the number of potential customers to a higher number of over 20,000. But to no avail, their disinterest seems to stay the same.

Other factors, such as proximity to transportation routes and nearby larger shopping opportunities, fail to gain us points. We can’t control where the freeway is located, but we can control patronage. I shop elsewhere, including the internet, as much as anyone, but only after an honest effort to locate the desired item locally. As useful as the internet can be, it has severely damaged the business prospects of small rural towns like Preston. Identifying and accepting the role that the internet plays led the city council to a partnership in upgrading the high-speed internet availability throughout city limits. We are hopeful it will attract both business and people. Maybe this will help? I sincerely hope so.

So… which comes first in this paradox? Business or population from growth? Communities need storefront businesses. Therefore, we streamlined the online business license application. The zoning code for commercial businesses has also been expanded. Businesses need customers. People/customers need housing, so we continue to approve subdivisions that include single-family housing as well as multi-family units. Housing needs infrastructure, so we built a new wastewater plant and are currently searching for a second source of culinary water. Costs continue to rise for existing customers of the city services that we are legally obligated to provide. Meanwhile… Main Street stays the same.

A certain amount of growth is necessary to maintain. But I am a firm believer that “new growth should pay for new growth.” Long timers built this town and deserve our efforts to hold their costs in check as much as possible. If the answer was easy and obvious, it would already be in place, but it isn’t easy nor obvious. Hard questions will have to be asked. Hard decisions will have to be made.

This paradox will exist long after I am gone. Others will have to grapple with the same dilemma. I wish them well. I hope the transparent recordings of our work will be used for their research and development so that the sign at city limits is always an erect and welcoming monument to my hometown. Before I forget… that third question about Walmart? It’s a total rumor; they have never approached the council for a business license, building permit, or any other expression of interest in my 16 years on the council. What would my answer or vote have been if they did? We will never know.