Preparing for the New Year Murdo Area Chamber meeting

The Murdo Area Chamber meeting was held at the Turner Youth center on Wednesday, December 17. The secretary’s report was reviewed. Jewell Bork informed the chamber that the two bank accounts could not get combined until there is a designated signer. The secretary’s report was approved.

The treasurer’s report was then reviewed. Le Ann Birkeland asked why the Murdo Bucks balances were in red. Krysti Barnes explained that the red was to show they were a liability and not real income. Barb Hockenbary informed the chamber that the Lions Club owes the chamber $75 for Murdo Bucks they received. The treasurer’s report was approved.

Ashley Geigle then shared the improved design of the rack cards that were discussed and reviewed at previous meetings. Discussion followed on the possibility of printing separate rack cards for general use outside of the 250th celebration that list all of the chamber businesses. Part of that discussion toyed with the idea of distributing them outside of Murdo in places like rest areas. Price of the cards was briefly discussed; it would be $.33 for 1,000 or $0.60 if ordered in increments of 200.

The next order of business was to judge the coloring pages submitted for the Christmas coloring contest. At the Annual Murdo Christmas Fair back in November, coloring pages were available for kids to choose from. The colored pages were then to be submitted to First National Bank during the Holiday After Hours event on December 10. There were three age categories. The winner of the first category was Presley Geigle, second category Bowden Aske, and the third category had a tie between sisters Brielle and Reagan Schoon. Each were awarded $10 in Murdo Bucks!

The chamber then discussed check signers for the bank account. The chamber came to the decision that the number of signers and who the signers are should stay the same as before: the president, vice president, and treasurer.

The chamber then reviewed the co-op page sponsorship for the Murdo Coyote. The chamber motioned to sponsor all co-ops for the year of 2026.

Then discussed was the 2026 Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Geigle described what the conference is about as she has attended in the past. The board is willing to sponsor a chamber member’s registration for the conference if they are interested in attending.

Chamber membership was next on the agenda. Barnes informed the chamber that some members who usually always renew have not yet and suggested putting out a reminder for businesses to renew their chamber membership. There was discussion on businesses that have been members in the past, including some who are no longer in business.

Bork then suggested plans for hosting another Legislative Cracker Barrel in Murdo. Legislators will need to be contacted soon. She suggested doing it on a Saturday at the Senior Center. In the past, poor weather and conflicting schedules made the meetings less successful.

The next area of discussion was the chamber website. Geigle informed the chamber that Donna Fischer would update the website if she is provided the information needed to do so. Fischer, Geigle, and Kamaria Labrier have been looking into a five page website, that the city would pay for, that would have toggles to navigate between city happenings, Murdo Development Corp happenings, events, and so on. Geigle suggested the chamber be a part of it, as it would be of no cost to them. She explained the website layout and how the chamber would be added to the site. Multiple members reviewed Burke’s website, as it would be very similar to theirs.

Finally, Sam Seymour asked when the brand board would be repaired. The chamber did not have an answer for this, as that would be a question for the city, which owns the property.

There was no further business, and the meeting was adjourned.