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02/10/2020 - Minutes 1 City of Port Orchard Economic Development and Tourism Committee Meeting Minutes Monday, February 10, 2020 Committee Members Present: Councilmembers Bek Ashby, Fred Chang, Shawn Cucciardi City Officials and Staff: City Clerk Brandy Rinearson, Long Range Planner Keri Sallee Guests: Jack Edwards, Matt Murphy, Kathleen Wilson Chair Ashby called the meeting to order at 9:32 am. 1. Election of Committee Chair. Councilmember Chang nominated Councilmember Cucciardi as the 2020 committee chair. Councilmember Ashby seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 2. Discussion: Committee Purpose and Focus. Ashby gave an overview of projects the committee has worked on over the past six years. These projects included the wayfinding sign system, the City’s online special event toolkit, the Roger Brooks seminar series, and the Tourism Strategic Plan. The committee has also added a business community discussion as the first item on its meeting agenda, to promote dialogue and hear the concerns of the business community. Cucciardi will reach out to the Port of Bremerton to confirm whether new Port Commissioner Gary Anderson would like to participate in committee meetings. The committee agreed to meet on the second Monday of each month at 9:30 am in the Council Chambers, unless otherwise rescheduled. Cucciardi said that the committee should be sure to extend its economic development efforts to all businesses within the City, and not focus solely on the downtown. Chang said that the City may also want to work more closely with the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance (KEDA). Ashby said that Cucciardi and Councilmember Cindy Lucarelli are both now representing the City on KEDA, which should help bring more information on KEDA’s activities and resources back to the City. Chang said that parking continues to be a concern for downtown businesses that may want to expand. All-day parking on the downtown waterfront for commuters is not likely to be sustainable in future as the downtown revitalizes. Ashby said that downtown businesses should have their staff use park and ride facilities instead of putting their vehicles in downtown parking spaces intended for customers. Parking will be a future committee discussion item. Committee members agreed that issues regarding the proposed downtown community events center will continue to come through the EDT committee, as well as through the Land Use committee, to inform Council work-study discussions. Phasing, business impacts, and displacement mitigation are likely future topics. The downtown/county campus subarea plan and EIS will also come through both committees. Long Range Planner Sallee will continue to provide the committee with a monthly update on commercial building permits, land use permits, and preapplication meetings. City Clerk Rinearson will provide a list 2 of home-based businesses within the City limits. Rinearson will also review the City’s website for potential opportunities to provide additional or updated economic development information. 3. Update: Potential Legislative Changes to Use of LTAC Funds. Ashby said that changes being proposed to RCW 35.010 and 43.131 may affect the City’s future receipt and use of LTAC funds. “Tourist” is being redefined to focus on overnight stays instead of day trips. Lodging businesses can band together to request that tourism promotion area charges be removed if they believe the charge isn’t having a significant economic impact by increasing the number of tourists to the area. The City’s lobbyist will continue to monitor the progress of this legislation in Olympia. 4. Discussion: 2020 Foot Ferry Services. Rinearson said that the City of Bremerton has asked Port Orchard to provide an additional $5,500 to fund Sunday service for the 2020 summer foot ferry. Port Orchard provide financial support for the Sunday foot ferry service in 2019. However, the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee voted not to continue this funding for 2020, since it was felt that Sunday service did not serve actual tourism purposes and therefore was not an appropriate use of LTAC money. Port Orchard will provide financial support for summer foot ferry service only for holidays and events in 2020. Cucciardi said that the low ridership on Sundays would result in Port Orchard subsidizing Sunday foot ferry service from the City’s general fund at a much higher rate than on other days, for less return. Ashby said that foot ferry ridership wasn’t likely to increase until Port Orchard had more downtown population. If Bremerton wants additional financial support for the ferry at this time, they may want to approach the Port of Bremerton or Kitsap County. The committee will suggest that Mayor Putaansuu speak with Bremerton’s Mayor Wheeler on this matter. Chair Cucciardi adjourned the meeting at 10:34 am. Next Meeting: March 9, 2020 at 9:30 am in the Council Chambers, 3rd floor of City Hall.