TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Andy Sywak, Economic Vitality Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Chamber of Commerce Work Plan Discussion (Economic Vitality Manager Sywak).
RECEIVE REPORT AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
Line
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that Council receive the report on a potential FY 2017-18 work plan with the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce and provide direction.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
In the FY 2017-18 Budget, funds totaling $100,000 were appropriated for Economic Development Partnerships. Funding for the Chamber would be provided from this account.
BACKGROUND:
The Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce spoke during public comment at this year's budget discussion about its desire to receive funding from the City to support its programming and operations. Council requested that this item be added to a future agenda item to discuss whether to engage in a formal work plan with the Chamber.
About the Chamber
Through its events and mixers, the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce activates the business community and provides a forum for local businesses to network and organize. Its Signature Events include Best of Manhattan Beach and the Economic Forum and State of the City. The Chamber currently has 420 members.
In years past, the City provided substantial funding to the Chamber of Commerce to support their efforts promoting commerce in Manhattan Beach. In the FY 2013-14 and FY 2014-15 budgets, the Chamber received $100,000 for various economic development efforts including promoting Manhattan Beach as a destination, hosting an Economic Forum and working on business retention strategies. Since 2015, however, the Chamber received no direct funding for a work plan and has only received sponsorship dollars from the City. In the FY 2016-17, the City paid the Chamber $11,000 to sponsor three events (Best of Manhattan, State o...
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