GULF SHORES, Ala., — During its work session Monday, City Council members heard from a vacationer who told them about a program implemented in his hometown of Chattanooga he believes can help improve business in the area.

Jim McKenzie is a banker who said his family has vacationed here since 1981. He said the program he spoke of, called Buy It Local cards, could be an incentive for vacationers to come back to the Alabama Gulf Coast after a disastrous 2010 vacation season.

“Everyone is familiar with gift cards and how popular they’ve become,” he told council members. “This would be a gift card that could only be used in your local area.”

McKenzie, who told council members he is not an employee of Buy It Local, said the idea for the card came from a program instituted by Blue Cross Blue Shield in his hometown. He said Blue Cross gave out Target gift cards as an incentive to their employees in Chattanooga. Buy It Local President and CEO Amy Walker Cherry then approached Blue Cross officials with the idea of loading up gift cards with money that could be spent not just in one store, but in multiple stores in the downtown Chattanooga area.

According to McKenzie, Blue Cross officials were receptive to the idea and have implemented the card with great success.

“The concept is a really good one for this area,” he said.

McKenzie said although the program would be implemented a little differently here than in Chattanooga, the basic concept would be the same.

“This would primarily be for tourists,” he said. “The concept would be that Meyer Real Estate, for example, would load the card with $100 and give it to tourists that stayed in their condos,” he said. “The cardholder could then use the card in local participating businesses.”

McKenzie said he is not aware of any other community along the Gulf Coast that offers anything similar to the Buy It Local cards. He urged city leaders to become the first, adding it could lead to favorable media exposure, something he said has been hard to come by in recent months.

Council members were receptive to the pitch, but they said it would best be implemented by an organization such as the local Chamber of Commerce.

“If this is something that makes sense to the merchants and there is a part for us to play, we’d be open to that,” Mayor Robert Craft said.

City Council member Carolyn Doughty said she could see another use for the Buy It Local card. Citing a lack of merchant participation at the Shrimp Festival in city sales tax revenue, she said the card would be a way for the city to make sure festival vendors paid their fair share of sales tax.

Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce President Linda Mikkelsen was at the meeting and spoke with McKenzie at its conclusion. McKenzie said she was open to speaking with him and Buy it Local officials to set up meetings in the coming days with Chamber representatives to further look into the program.

Other business

In other business, Council members agreed to place several items on Monday’s Council meeting agenda. Items included a provision that would allow for a waiver of business permit fees for the Business Support Center at the Gulf Shores campus of Faulkner State Community College; an outsourced cleaning contract for the Bodenhamer Recreation Center; and a change order for a contract to paint the football stadium at the city’s sports complex.