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08/05/2019 - Minutes 1 City of Port Orchard Economic Development and Tourism Committee Meeting Minutes Monday, August 5, 2019 Committee Members Present: Council Members Bek Ashby (Chair), Scott Diener, Jay Rosapepe City Officials and Staff: Mayor Rob Putaansuu, Community Development Director Nick Bond, City Clerk Brandy Rinearson, Long Range Planner Keri Sallee Guests: Charlotte Garrido, Jack Edwards, Matt Murphy Chair Ashby called the meeting to order at 9:30 am. County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido was introduced to the committee and guests. 1. Discussion: Plastic Bag Reduction – County/City Ordinances. Long Range Planner Sallee said that she had been working with the City Attorney and Chris Piercy, Kitsap County Solid Waste Program Supervisor, on a final draft ordinance for plastic bag reduction that would mirror Kitsap County’s draft ordinance. The County Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the County’s ordinance on August 12. The City’s ordinance will have a public hearing before the City Council on August 13 which will be continued to August 20th. The Council may take action on August 20th as well, or defer action until September. Sallee will check with the City Attorney on a couple of items which may require additional corrections in the City’s draft ordinance. Matt Murphy, executive director of the Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce, said that the $0.08 pass-through charge on recycled paper and reusable plastic carryout bags was requested by the grocery industry, but the grocery industry does not speak for all retailers and the decision to charge for bags should be made by individual retailers. Councilman Rosapepe said that he agreed with this viewpoint. Murphy said he was against the pass- through charge exemption for food banks and food assistance programs, and for users of vouchers or electronic benefits cards for state and federal food assistance programs, and the charge should apply equally to everyone. He also said that the implementation timeline should have been longer, at least a year, to allow retailers and customers to adjust to the new requirements. Ashby said that while she agreed that the choice to charge for bags should be made by the individual retailer, the City had chosen to include the pass-through charge in the ordinance because it had been anticipated that the state would include the charge in legislation that would override local regulations. 2. Discussion: Public Facilities District/South Kitsap Community Events Center. Mayor Putaansuu said that on July 29, the Kitsap Public Facilities District (PFD) made a preliminary selection of the proposed South Kitsap Community Events Center as the top pick for public funding. Although the PFD was willing to grant the City immediate funds for study and design work, Putaansuu was reluctant to accept it without further discussion internally and with partners on the scope of the project and how much it will cost. A commitment for study/design funding from the PFD will not persuade a bank to make a commitment for the larger master plan project. An interlocal agreement between the City and the PFD will need to address space needs, timeline, ownership, design, funding commitment needs, and the roles, contributions and responsibilities of the other partners. A community engagement process will also be required to understand what residents want, since a portion of funding may need to be raised through a parks and recreation levy. Putaansuu said that the County is not interested in assuming bond debt for the project, since they have their own needs at this time, including building the new County courthouse. However, if the PFD borrowed the funds, their 2 rate would be considerably higher and would reduce funding by approximately $10 million. The City must consider whether bonding its portion of the project’s funding needs would be a good use of the City’s debt capacity, especially considering other projects, such as utilities and transportation, that may require major City financing in the future. In any case, ongoing cash flow would have to come from PFD funding. Ashby said that the City needs to consider whether it wants to take the role of lead agency for the project, given the amount of additional work it would put on staff. The ongoing maintenance and operation costs of the events center that would be borne by the City must also be considered. 3. Update: City Tourism/Economic Development Videos. City Clerk Rinearson showed the draft tourism and economic development videos that have been prepared by EVI. Putaansuu asked that the shots of the Tremont roundabout be reshot, since they were taken before the roundabout was completed. Rinearson said that some imagery of the new Rockwell Park will also be added. Putaansuu added that the landscaping and flowers along the Rockwell Park waterfront look very nice right now, and some drone shots of this view with summer visitors could be a good addition. Jack Edwards, manager of Days Inn, suggested that some information on workforce development could be added. Rinearson will pass this information on to EVI. The final videos will go to a regular Council meeting for review. 4. Discussion: Lodging Tax Committee Appointments. Rinearson has been reaching out to local hoteliers, including Comfort Inn, Days Inn and Vista Motel. The Cedar Cove property has been sold and is no longer operating as a bed and breakfast. Mrs. Howe’s Bed and Breakfast will not be participating this year because the owner has an ongoing health condition. Edwards will contact Comfort Inn personally to request their participation on the committee, since Rinearson has not heard from them. Putaansuu said that he would like to have a committee of more than two participants. Rinearson hopes to have a committee meeting date finalized by the next EDT meeting. 5. Discussion: Timeline for Accepting Applications for Lodging Tax Funds. Rinearson said that $100,000 in lodging tax funds has been allocated to be awarded in 2020. The application form and requirements will largely remain the same as in previous years. The Lodging Tax Committee will discuss whether some money should be set aside solely for awards to new applications. The application period will open on August 12 and close on September 9. The committee will start reviewing the applications during the week of September 10, with presentations from the applicants during the week of September 23. Rosapepe asked Rinearson to work with the City Finance Director to provide an update on the status of the lodging tax reserve funds at an upcoming Council meeting. 6. Discussion: Temporary Vendors – Food Trucks at City Parks. Rinearson said the City has received a temporary vendor application to operate a food truck in the parking lot of McCormick Village Park. Sallee said that although the City’s zoning code allows food trucks in a number of zones, the Parks and Recreation zone is not one of them. However, the food truck could be located near the park on a public street or other appropriately zoned property with a City temporary vendor permit. Putaansuu said that the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) opened in the Poulsbo branch of the Kitsap Library the previous week. It is funded in partnership with Western Washington University. When Port Orchard gets a new library, a similar resource would be desirable here. Putaansuu will ask an SBDC representative to make an informational presentation at a regular City Council meeting in September. Chair Ashby adjourned the meeting at 10:46 am. Next Meeting: September 9, 2019, at 9:30 am in the Council Chambers.