MINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL of the City of Hermosa Beach, California, held on Monday, December 9, 2002, at the hour of 7:12 P.M.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
- Ron Newman
ROLL CALL
Present: Dunbabin, Keegan, Reviczky, Yoon, Mayor Edgerton
Absent: None
CITIZEN COMMENTS
None.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE PROMOTION PROJECT - PUBLIC RELATIONS/MARKETING PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS. Memorandum from City Manager Stephen Burrell dated December 5, 2002 (PDF File).
City Manager Burrell presented the staff report, stating that a final product should be ready for the Council within the next month or so.
Coming forward to address the Council on this item were:
- Joe Marks
- - Chair of the Economic Development Review Committee (EDRC), said that the ultimate goal was to establish a budget and a timeline; said the committee had reviewed an 11-city study; said decisions would be made regarding program elements to be handled in-house and outside, and which parts of the program would be prioritized or eliminated; said the committee had not met with the Chamber of Commerce, noting that a representative of that organization would comment tonight on which parts of the program they would handle, and the program would then move to the next phase; said a feasible marketing plan should be established and that the Council would decide if an outside source or a second community committee would be used to oversee the project; said his committee would continue to provide input and, for upcoming meetings, specific visual examples and costs should be presented; said care should be taken to consolidate efforts between the City and the Chamber of Commerce to reduce or eliminate costs;
- Conn Flatley
- - Incoming Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, said that the Chamber of Commerce was not as far along as they would like to be because all the officers, two-thirds of the executive committee, and one-third of the Board of Directors had recently changed, but that the Chamber of Commerce was enthusiastic about a partnership with the City; said he envisioned a three-pronged program directed at (1) tourism and visitors, (2) business-to-business, and (3) residents; said community support was essential to assist businesses; said the Chamber of Commerce was willing to provide some funding, noting that membership dues brought in $40,000, but pointed out that the fiesta was the real source of Chamber funds; noted the importance of daytime downtown activities and hotels; suggested linking the websites of the City and Chamber of Commerce to avoid duplicate information; said it was expensive to foster tourism and to convince people that Hermosa Beach is a worthwhile place to shop and run errands at lunch; thought it would be best to move in small steps, with the program growing progressively; spoke of possible funding sources;
- Carla Merriman
- - Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, reiterated that Chamber of Commerce funds were generated primarily from the fiestas and that they were hoping to continue to hold two each year, particularly in light of their financial support of the public relations program (Mayor Edgerton requested that the Chamber of Commerce provide a budget, and City Manager Burrell suggested they file an application for the second fiesta, providing the number of man hours to produce two fiestas and said this topic could be agendized in January prior to the next public relations/marketing meeting); and,
- Ron Newman
- - Hermosa Beach, suggested that the City, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Economic Development Review Committee follow the example of El Segundo in its aggressive downtown vitalization project; said the plan should progress in logical steps with the first phase focused on acquiring the right kind of tenants; said well-run businesses were almost always successful; stressed the importance of having shops in the City which provided goods that would appeal to the affluent lifestyle of Hermosa Beach residents.
Council goals and suggestions included: (1) attract new businesses; (2) sustain old businesses; (3) form a new commission similar to the Downtown Enhancement Commission; (4) have the Chamber of Commerce prioritize and provide a fiscal year breakdown of activities and costs; (5) the need for office space near the downtown; (6) the need for increased retail; (7) a focus on things that could be done right away; (8) make residents aware - maybe on Chamber of Commerce and City websites - of the advantages (sales tax, etc.) of shopping in Hermosa Beach; (9) have TV shows highlight local businesses; and (10) keep in mind the impending budget cuts due to the State's financial situation.
Action: Mayor Edgerton directed, with the consensus of the Council, to agendize in January a discussion on scheduling a meeting in February for the committee and the Chamber of Commerce to give reports, including incorporating the above-noted City Council goals and suggestions.
ANNOUNCEMENT IN OPEN SESSION OF ITEMS TO BE DISCUSSD IN CLOSED SESSION AS FOLLOWS:
-
MINUTES: Approval of minutes of Closed Session meeting held on November 26, 2002.
-
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL
The City Council finds, based on advice from legal counsel, that discussion in open session will prejudice the position of the City in the litigation.
Anticipated Litigation: Government Code Section 54956.9(b)
Number of potential cases: 1
ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION
The Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Hermosa Beach adjourned on Tuesday, December 9, 2002, at the hour of 8:35 P.M. to a closed session.
RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION
The Closed Session convened at the hour of 8:40 P.M. At the hour of 10:55 P.M., the Closed Session adjourned to the Regular Meeting.
ORAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were no decisions made requiring a public announcement.
ADJOURNMENT
The Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Hermosa Beach adjourned on Monday, December 9, 2002, at the hour of 10:56 P.M. to an Adjourned Regular Meeting on Tuesday, December 10, 2002, at the hour of 6:30 P.M. to conduct interviews of applicants for the Public Works Commission.
