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Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 6.C
Meeting Date: October 26, 2022
From: Stone James, Economic Development Director
Title: Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce Fiscal Year 2022/2023 Service Agreement
City Council
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce Service Provider Agreement for a total of $30,000 for the fiscal year, Exhibit “A” Scope of Services, and Exhibit “B” Payment Program for FY22/23; and authorize the City Manager to execute the Agreement.
BACKGROUND:
The Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce and the City have partnered on serving and supporting Cathedral City-based businesses since the City's incorporation in 1981. This partnership was strengthened when the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce merged with the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2017 ("GCVCC" or "Chamber"). GCVCC is the Coachella Valley's largest business advocacy, marketing, and networking organization. This merger strengthened our local Cathedral City chamber by increasing our businesses' visibility throughout the Valley while increasing our businesses' access to previously unavailable resources. These new resources include experienced marketing professionals, a greater voice in regional business advocacy, and Valley-wide business best-practices sharing.
Beginning in fiscal years 2017/18 through 2019/20, the GCVCC received an annual allocation of $60,000 per fiscal year. Due to the anticipated impact of COVID-19 on City revenues, on June 30, 2020, the Council voted to reduce the Chamber's annual allocation to $17,200 for the 2020/21 fiscal year. As economic conditions improved, the City increased the Chamber-related budget to $45,000 for the 2021/22 fiscal year. This amount included funds to operate the Chamber ($30,000) and funding to maintain a stand- alone Cathedral City-based Visitor Center ($15,000).
The proposed 2022/2023 Chamber contract contemplates funding chamber operations within the City (at a cost of $30,000) with no stand-alone visitor’s center (savings of $15,000 per year). The 2022/23 Economic Development Department budget has $30,000 earmarked for Chamber services.
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In preparing the 2022/23 City/Chamber contract, the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors1 (Chamber Board), GCVCC Regional Board Chair Rich Ramhoff, and the Cathedral City Economic Development Department have repeatedly met and evaluated historic services, current and future City needs, and organizational staffing capacities.
Exhibit “A” (attached) outlines the services the Chamber is proposing to provide the City for the 2022/23 fiscal year.
Exhibit “B” (attached) outlines the timing and documentation required for payment.
DISCUSSION:
Each fiscal year the City and GCVCC enters into an annual service provider agreement ("Agreement"). This Agreement outlines the relationship, duties, and responsibilities to and between the City and the Chamber. As attachments to the Agreement, there is a Scope of Services (Exhibit "A") and Payment Instructions (Exhibit "B"). Exhibit "A" Scope of Services describes the activities the Chamber and the City are required to perform. Exhibit "B" is a check mechanism for the City and the Chamber to ensure agreed-upon services are delivered and documented before payment, the timing of payments, and the amounts of said payments.
Exhibit "A" has been revised for the upcoming fiscal year. These revisions include clearly identifying the focus areas and objectives of various chamber activities and the specific steps to be accomplished in the service of the established goals. These revisions are intended to provide greater clarity of purpose and to improve accountability. Below is a summary of Exhibit “A”.
1) Workforce & Business Development: The City of Cathedral City can enlist the Chamber’s activities to deploy in its business community. The Chamber will regularly survey local businesses by way of shopping or querying to gather insights about issues affecting their businesses. Such information will be shared with City staff on a regular basis, as it’s collected.
2) Business Support Services Objective: The Chamber will host and produce resources to support entrepreneurial interests, professional development and development for business, workforce and industry. These services might involve collaboration and convening other agencies to serve the benefits and interests of Cathedral City businesses.
3) City Marketing: The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce will proactively market city assets, events, and businesses in order to: (i) improve the positive public perception of Cathedral City, (ii) raise property values, (iii) increase economic activity, and (iv) add to the City’s tax base. 4) Shop Local First: The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce will maintain and update the monthly “Shop Local First” program throughout Cathedral City, acting as a partner in updating the City’s Shop Local First webpage: www.cccshoplocal.com.
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5) Special Events Objectives: The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce and City of Cathedral City agree to mutually collaborate on the production of business and community-oriented events in the City of Cathedral City.
Additionally, the City of Cathedral City agrees to sponsor a variety of GCVCC Special Events through the year.
The Economic Development Department believes the aforementioned activities will support the mission of attracting, retaining, and expanding both current and future Cathedral City businesses.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The FY22/23 adopted budget allocates $30,000 for the GCVCC FY 22/23 Agreement.
These allocated funds would be used to fund this contract.
REFERENCES:
1) The Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors consists of the following members:
Joe Frazier Chairman
Stephen Burchard Secretary
Bob Baltes Treasurer
Shelley Kaplan Director and Former Councilmember
Adrian Rendon Director
Antonio Lopez-Cochran Director
Gabriel Arreola Director
James Linquist Director
Peter Bedard Director
Phil Goodage Director
Richard Altman Director
Sandy Jimenez Director
Scott Robinson Director
.
ATTACHMENTS:
Chamber Contract for Services 07.28.2021 1_Service
Provider Agmt FY22-23 2022-10-12 2_Service
Provide Agreement FY 22_23 EXHIBIT A 3_Payment
Instructions Exhibit B FY22-23 Final