State law requires sealed bidding for procurements or contracted services, but not professional services, in excess of $100,000. “Local does not come in to play on that … and can not,” City Administrator Joel Walinski said. But cities do have some leeway on local spending, he said, and look to the Office of the State Auditor and the League of Minnesota Cities for guidance. They advise that cities can go with a local business over a more distant one if all else is equal or if there’s a demonstrable cost savings to doing business locally, Walinski said. Just what the council considers local, he said, is “still up for debate.”

But to me it is not ‘specific’ as much as an attitudinal thing…
Which is: If you like this community enough that you choose to live here, then also choose to support its retailers, businesses, banks, doctors, because they probably mostly all live here also.

If you choose to live in an “independent small town”, rather than a suburb, then support that small town so it can be as economically strong as possible.

Isn’t that more important than the strict definition of “local”?

…it seems to be the question of the moment.

Can I answer, “It depends”?

Years ago, when the Chamber and the NDDC were doing the Retail Support Strategies work for the EDA, we kind of liked the “Local First” concept…or, specifically, “Try to Find It in Northfield First”. If you need (or want) something, look for in in town first, or perhaps see if a local store will order it for you, and, if not, then begin to expand your definition of “local”.

Sometimes it (really) depends on what you’re needing (or wanting). If you are trying to buy a car, you can find one in Northfield. If you are determined to drive a BMW, you probably need to go to the Metro Area. If you gotta have a Maserati, I’m guessing Greenwich, CT.