Many of us never pause to think about the consequences of stopping at a business outside of Hartselle’s city limits to purchase a tank of gas, a jug of milk or a loaf of bread while we’re on our way home from work.

Alternatively, instead of giving local merchants a first look, we tend to go elsewhere to shop for a new car or take the family out to eat.

Perhaps this kind of behavior is the result of us being swayed into thinking that bigger is better and our chances of getting the most for our money are better when we have a large quantity of merchandise from which to choose.

You might be prone to ask what difference does it make anyway?

It matters a lot because over 50 percent of the city’s revenue comes from sales tax receipts. There is a direct relationship between the amount of business activity that takes place in the city on any given month and the amount of money the city has to spend for public services such as police and fire protection, recreational facilities and programs and street maintenance.

All of us have heard family members and friends talk about making purchases somewhere else on the one hand while complaining about the need for the city to offer more and better services on the other hand. This disregard for the city’s needs should make us want to grab them and yell, “but you’re part the problem, not a part of the solution.

Last year Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce initiated a “Shop Hartselle First “ campaign to show how important it is not to let our shopping dollars slip away and land in the coffers of other cities.

To emphasize the point, this illustration was posted on the shophartsellefirst.com website: “If every family in Hartselle buys a meal at a restaurant outside of the city five times, the lost tax revenue to the city is equal to the salary of a police officer.”

On the same website, a Hartselle resident posted this testimonial for The Freight House Restaurant: “I stopped in today for the first time in about five years. I thought the building was no longer a restaurant. What a pleasant surprise! Great food! Great staff! The train going by was “icing on the icing.” Thanks for going out of the way to make our visit memorable.”

The city is going though a difficult time of losing businesses and meeting budget needs. What better time than now to do a better job of patronizing our businesses and keeping our money in circulation at home.”

Clif Knight is a staff writer for the Hartselle Enquirer.