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A pilot "buy local" campaign and business alliance in downtown Silver Spring and Wheaton might not continue next year because it could be cut from the county's budget, its program manager said.

Funds for Local First Wheaton and Buy Local Silver Spring, two separate programs that draw consumer attention to local businesses through marketing campaigns and sustainable business practices, were left out of the county executive's recommended fiscal 2010 budget, said Emily Adelman, the program manager for the Local First campaigns.

Without the county's one-year grant of $68,000, which paid for Adelman's full time position to coordinate the programs and subsidized the printing of guides that list local businesses, the year-old programs may not have enough money to continue, Adelman said.

But Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring said she is adamant about making sure the programs continue to be funded by the county, saying Local First deserves at least another year to get off the ground and help small businesses.

"It is paramount that we keep it going," she said. "We understand how many residents work in local small businesses."

Both Ervin, Adelman and business owners say the Local First initiatives have boosted the visibility of small businesses in the past year. And now they're at a critical juncture where they need the county's help to keep the momentum going, Adelman said.

In Silver Spring, a "Buy Local Silver Spring" guide was completed in December that listed 214 locally-owned businesses and organizations. It cost about $6,000 of the county's grant to print but was free for the businesses listed in the guide, Adelman said.

Jose Dominguez, the executive director of Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, which has held several buy local marketing events, said the volunteer time he and other businesses put in to make the guide was well worth it. He said the guide helped businesses get their names out to consumers.

"For Silver Spring, marketing is huge because it's such a large area," Dominguez said.

In Wheaton, Local First has taken on more of a communication role. Businesses pay at least $25 in one-time dues and attend meetings to discuss sustainable business practices and marketing.

Through those alliances, several businesses have joined a group to replace 50 percent of their electricity use with wind power. Several more now sell their used cooking grease to make biodiesel fuel instead of paying someone to throw it away.

A "Shop Local" business guide for Wheaton is also planned. That will cost about $4,000 to print and the county grant will pay for it, Adelman said.

Dave Taghipour, the owner of Speedy Signs in Wheaton and a participant in the wind-power program, said Local First helped him reach for a longtime goal of making his business more environmentally friendly. But what it really does is foster communication among all the local business owners, he said.

"I think [it] plays an important role in unifying the community," he said.

Ervin said the program was not included in the county executive's budget because it was considered "low hanging fruit" in a year where the county is struggling to fund basic services such as public safety and education. However, she said she is working on a partnership with Steve Silverman, the new head of the county's Department of Economic Development, and others on the County Council to find a way to fund Local First and expand it throughout the county.

Ervin said she doesn't think the program competes with local chambers of commerce, which require several hundred dollars in annual dues from its members, depending on their number of employees, and brings together large corporations with small businesses.

In fact, the Wheaton & Kensington Chamber of Commerce has joined the Local First Wheaton program, Adelman said.

Local First is also unique in that it has the support of a nonprofit, Adelman said.

In 2008, Latino Economic Development Corporation, a small business development nonprofit based out of Wheaton and Washington, D.C., approached the County Council to suggest funding Local First and a fulltime position. The program is run out of LEDC's Wheaton offices and receives the nonprofit's resources.

"It's been an interesting dynamic because we can reach out to a broader base of small businesses, serving as a bridge between different cultural backgrounds of business owners," Adelman said.

However, as a nonprofit, LEDC does not have much revenue to fund Local First on its own, she said.

Adelman said she's encouraged by Ervin's support but remains skeptical of whether Local First will actually receive county funding.

"Nobody can make me any promises, so I feel like it ain't over ‘til it's over," she said.

In the meantime, Adelman said she is searching for local and state grants to continue funding her position and the programs. Without Adelman, business owners in Wheaton and Silver Spring say it would be difficult to continue Local First.

"As small business owners we all stay busy," Taghipour said. "You can only be so active without assistance from people like [Adelman] and LEDC."

Adelman said if the programs continue, eventually they will be able to stand on their own without county funding.

"At this juncture, it's not there yet," she said. "It's still kind of wobbly and can't walk on its own."

The County Council will finalize the fiscal year 2010 budget in mid-May.