To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Economic Development Board
Staff Name and Phone Number: Rebekah Heinze, 565-7152
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
FY 22-23 Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Centers Grant Awards
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Approve Fiscal Year 22-23 grant awards to Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Centers for a total of $500,000.
B) Authorize the Executive Director of the Economic Development Department, or designee, to execute grant agreements with Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Centers.
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Executive Summary:
This item requests Board consideration and approval of one-time grant awards totaling $500,000 and to authorize the Executive Director of the Economic Development Department, or designee, to execute agreements with grantees.
Discussion:
During budget hearings for fiscal year 2022-2023, the Board set aside one-time funds in the amount of $500,000 to fund Visitor Centers and Chambers of Commerce. To be eligible for funding, entities must serve the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County or provide countywide services.
The grant application period for FY 2022-2023 funding was open from July 7, 2022 through August 5, 2022. Notice of the availability of the grant applications, along with outreach emails were sent to 24 entities to inform them of the grant opportunities and applicable due dates. 12 Visitor Centers and 10 Chambers of Commerce submitted applications.
The chamber grants are designed to provide a match of up to 10% of an organization’s membership dues and private cash contributions. The amounts recommended are based on each applicant organization’s projected FY 2022-2023 membership dues, as well as the average membership dues collected in prior fiscal years.
Staff sought to align Visitor Center funding, to the extent possible, with the requests made by each applicant organization. Historically, the program has sought to emphasize services and locations in the unincorporated area, as is reflected in the recommended amounts. Additional criteria include days and hours of operation, response time, historic and anticipated visitor counts and whether the organization is also leveraging matching funds. New applicants, or those returning from a year or more of hiatus, received 50% of their requested amount for the initial year. On average, applicants received 41% more than fiscal year 2021-2022 and 75% of what they requested.
Combined applications from the Visitor Center and Chamber matching grant programs totaled $783,016, which exceeds the funds available by $283,016. The following is a summary of the recommended funding:
Visitor Centers
Sonoma Coast (Bodega Bay) $89,800
Cloverdale $20,000
Geyserville $9,550
Healdsburg $36,959
Mark West $3,500
Petaluma $37,509
Russian River $119,789
Santa Rosa $25,000
Sebastopol $7,000
Sonoma Valley $57,902
Stewards of the Coast & Redwoods $20,000
Windsor $18,754
Visitor Centers Total $445,765
Chambers of Commerce
Cloverdale $3,000
Geyserville $2,200
Healdsburg $7,810
Mark West $3,135
Petaluma $1,690
Rohnert Park $7,095
Russian River $5,500
Sebastopol $5,710
Sonoma Valley $10,230
Windsor $7,865
Chambers of Commerce Total $54,235
Grand Total: $500,000
The use of general funds for these purposes complies with Government Code Section 26227, which allows the Board of Supervisors to fund programs deemed by the Board to meet the social needs of the population of the county.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
09/14/2021: Approval of FY 21-22 grant awards to Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Centers
04/16/2019: Community Investment Fund Program Policy Update and Four-Year Funding Allocations
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY 22-23 Adopted |
FY23-24 Projected |
FY 24-25 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$500,000 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
$500,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
$500,000 |
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$500,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
$500,000 in funding for Visitor Centers and Chambers of Commerce was approved during the FY 22-23 budget hearings and is included in the Economic Development Board’s Adopted Budget.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
1. Sample Chambers of Commerce Grant Agreement
2. Sample Visitor Centers Grant Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None