Minutes 06-20-2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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12 Commissioner Jacobs said the BOCC can still express its fiscal and verbal support to both chambers, but not keep spending money while unsure from whence it came. Commissioner Price said her concern is that the BOCC is unsure of what is being given and the benefits, and thus it is unclear what the consequences of any change may be, and the County may jeopardize relationships with other members of the Chambers. Commissioner Marcoplos said he agreed with Commissioner Jacobs, and he would want to know more information about the donations being made by the County departments before making a final decision. He said it is appropriate to make the County's $9,500 commitment to the Chambers, and then sort out the other ancillary dues. Commissioner McKee said the discussion at Thursday night's BOCC meeting, where the Board chose not to fund these organizations, was done on the fly, and he voted on information that was given at that time, but was not factual. He said this Board prides itself on transparency and process, and the Board can vote tonight. He said Commissioner Price's motion goes to process, and it would let staff have time to develop a process and address this with a budget amendment. Chair Dorosin said he was surprised to learn that various departments were paying dues to both Chambers. Chair Dorosin asked Travis Myren if he had a rough estimate of the total of these dues. Travis Myren said staff is putting together an itemized list, but the dues totaled about $20-25,000 in 2016, with most of that coming from the Visitors Bureau. Chair Dorosin said that is a lot of money, and this needs to be analyzed. He said he would be willing to support some lesser amount than the proposed level, in recognition of the historical collaboration. Chair Dorosin said he is not comfortable with the County being a member of an advocacy organization. He said he appreciates the services provided by the Chambers, but the County can always contract for those services if need be. He said an analysis is needed. Commissioner Rich said she started working on this a couple of months ago, and at that time she thought they had the correct information, but they did not. She said she had no idea last week that other departments were paying dues, besides the Department of Economic Development. She said she has a problem going back to the $8,500, but she is supportive of maintaining a good relationship, and could compromise on a lesser amount. Commissioner Rich said she cannot support Commissioner Price's motion. Commissioner McKee said this is not the only advocacy organization that the Board supports with County dollars, and said another example is the Rogers Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA). He said the Chambers will advocate for or against County positions, according to the interest of its membership. He said Commissioner Price's motion allows the Board to look at the issue, and the conversation can continue as early as the first meeting in September. Commissioner Marcoplos said it should not be a long or complicated process to sort this out, and asked if staff could have an answer in a month or two. Bonnie Hammersley said staff will take care of the analysis over the summer, and bring it back to the Board at its first meeting in September. Commissioner Marcoplos asked if it is Commissioner Jacobs' intent to eventually get to one payment. Commissioner Jacobs said he has a substitute motion to make, and would propose one payment. Commissioner Jacobs said he agreed with Commissioner McKee to a degree, but the Board cannot pay annual fees, and then revisit if it is paying annual fees at a September meeting. Commissioner Jacobs proposed a friendly substitute motion: