4d) Discussion and Possible Action Including Approval of the Mendocino County Lodging Business Improvement District (BID) Annual Report; Adoption of Resolution of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors Declaring Its Intention to Levy and Collect an Annual Assessment from Businesses in the BID Within the Boundaries of the Unincorporated Portion of the County of Mendocino and the Incorporated Areas of the City of Fort Bragg, the City of Point Arena, the City of Ukiah, and the City of Willits from Specified Lodging Businesses; and Setting the Date, Time, and Place of a Public Hearing to be Held by the Board to Levy the Proposed Assessment for Fiscal Year 2023/2024 (Sponsor: Planning and Building Services) - Mendocino County

Meeting: Board of Supervisors on 2023-05-23 9:00 AM - Regular Meeting

Meeting Time: May 23, 2023 at 9:00am PDT

Agenda Item

4d) Discussion and Possible Action Including Approval of the Mendocino County Lodging Business Improvement District (BID) Annual Report; Adoption of Resolution of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors Declaring Its Intention to Levy and Collect an Annual Assessment from Businesses in the BID Within the Boundaries of the Unincorporated Portion of the County of Mendocino and the Incorporated Areas of the City of Fort Bragg, the City of Point Arena, the City of Ukiah, and the City of Willits from Specified Lodging Businesses; and Setting the Date, Time, and Place of a Public Hearing to be Held by the Board to Levy the Proposed Assessment for Fiscal Year 2023/2024 (Sponsor: Planning and Building Services)

Legislation Text Resolution 23-100 Resolution BID Annual Report

Christopher Boettcher over 1 year ago
Support

I'm a new volunteer with Mendocino County and was elected to the Mendocino County tourism commission as the large lodging operator on the south coast. My wife Deanna and I are new innkeepers but I am a veteran of 45+ years of the hospitality industry, and we've been part of the Mendocino County Lodging Association since 2020. We’re specifically looking for the BoS to recognize that based on the revenues put forward by the CEO’s office for 23/24 we (TOT) are the 4th largest contributor to the county general fund at $8+million. We are asking for support amounting to 3% of that number in total of $265,351.80. If the county wants to continue to see TOT at the levels they currently see, VMC needs to secure these dollars for programming.

What is important to remember here is that one of VMC’s jobs is to keep Average Daily Rate (ADR) as high as possible to keep the TOT dollars flowing to the county General Fund. This request for funds is direct program dollars which keep the perceived value of Mendocino County as a destination as high as possible in turn keeping visitors paying the rates, we currently command.

I found some of supervisor Gjerde's comments and snickering offensive and short-sighted. Hopefully he and supervisor Haschak will see the light and support a fully funded VMC and look to raise revenues (like increasing the TOT/BID taxes) instead of cutting expenses.