Agendas and Minutes

City Council (View All)

Study Session

Agenda
Tuesday, February 21, 2012

MINUTES FOR THE STUDY SESSION
ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL
February 21, 2012
Council Chambers
1175 E. Main Street
 
Mayor Stromberg called the Study Session to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Civic Center Council Chambers.
 
Councilors Voisin, Morris, Lemhouse, Slattery, Silbiger, and Chapman were present.
 
  1. What questions and suggestions does City Council have regarding the new policy and scoring approach for the City’s annual economic, cultural, and sustainability grant program?
City Attorney Dave Lohman explained Councilor Slattery could participate in the discussion based on a “potential” conflict of interest. 
 
Interim City Administrator/Finance Director Lee Tuneberg noted staff would incorporate the $5,000 minimum into the new policy.
 
Council directed staff to re-add Tourism to the Resolution and discussed having four grant categories, Economic Development, Cultural, Sustainability, and Tourism with three to four criteria for each category.  Other suggestions included adding a non-traditional event to Tourism, moving the criteria Encouragement of a “buy local first” paradigm from Sustainability to Economic Development in place of Increasing total employment, and having a 0-4 point system.  Possible criteria for each category included:
 
Economic Development Grants
  • Likely to increase total employment
  • Likely to increase employment and number of enterprises in the target industries
  • Likely to assist existing businesses to remain or expand
  • Likely to result in jobs above the median income
Cultural Development Grants
  • Remove:  Increase in number of jobs in the local cultural arts sector
  • Retain:  Increase in number, type, or availability of cultural events
  • Retain:  Important to provide long-term access for residents to a particular cultural institution or to the visual and performing arts
  • Retain:  Significant collaboration with existing cultural program or leverage of existing program
  • Retain:  Significant increase in access to people who might not otherwise have access, e.g., low income, children, minority groups
Tourism Grants
  • Add:  Creating or supporting a new non-traditional tourism event
  • Retain:  Increase in hotel/motel occupancy or increase in local restaurant and retail business sales
  • Retain:  Increase in total number of tourism, hotel, restaurant, or retail jobs
  • Retain:  Increased occupancy or restaurant/retail business will occur in October through April
Sustainability Grants
  • Educational programs that focus on sustainability efforts in the community
  • Likelihood that the proposed activity will reduce consumption of a critical resource by citizens or businesses in the community
  • Reduction of Environmental Collateral Damage
  • Likelihood that the proposed activity will be “transferable” to another situation, resource, or community
 
Meeting adjourned at 6:28 p.m.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Christensen, City Recorder

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