SR 05:331 - Laserfiche WebLink

BACKGROUND The Tri-Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is largely supported by the four Tri-Valley cities, receiving 85% of its revenue from the cities and 150/0 from membership dues. The City of Pleasanton annually contributes approximately $180,000 from the General Fund to the CVB, representing 380/0 of the organization's operating budget. Funding contributions for the cities are based on the percentage of hotel and motel rooms in each city. In 2004, the CVB began investigating additional funding sources to support its tourism promotions and marketing activities. The CVB identified a Tri-Valley Tourism Business Improvement District (TVTBID), based on paid hotel (hereafter called lodging business) room occupancies, as the best option largely because the source of funding is directly tied to tourism. Additional reasons include increasingly tighter City budgets, CVB's desire to improve existing tourism promotion and CVB's desire to be more self-sufficient in tourism promotion. The CVB has been "Working "With a consultant, Do"Wnto"Wn Resources, to guide the organization through the development of the TVTBID, and is "Working to have the assessment district in place in early 2006. The tourism business improvement district "Would be established for 5 years, and "Would include lodging businesses "With 35 rooms or more available for public occupancy in the four Tri- Valley cities of Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton and San Ramon. The CVB has hosted t"Wo meetings (July 28, 2005 and November 17, 2005) for the affected lodging properties to explain the formation of the TVTBID and the assessment collection process. Before proceeding, the cities "Wanted support from the affected lodging businesses and asked the lodging businesses to indicate "Whether they "Were in support of such a district; 21 (of 35) lodging businesses representing more than 64.09% percent of the total voting strength have indicated support for establishing the TVTBID and have signed petitions agreeing to the creation of the assessment district. (The voting strength for each lodging businesses "Was determined by the lodging business's number of rooms factored by the 2004 occupancy rate.) It "Was proposed that Pleasanton "Would be the lead agency in forming the district and administering assessments for the TVTBID. On September 6, 2005 the City of Pleasant on adopted a Resolution Requesting Consent to form the Tri-Valley Tourism Business Improvement District from the Cities of Dublin, Livermore and San Ramon. Subsequently, the City Councils of Dublin, Livermore and San Ramon have each adopted Resolutions Granting Consent to the City of Pleasanton to form a tourism business improvement district, and on October 4, 2005 the City of Pleasanton adopted a Resolution of Intention to form the district. The City of Pleasanton has set December 6, 2005 as the date of the public hearing to hear protests to the formation of a tourism business improvement district; all lodging businesses proposed to be included in the district have been sent notice of the public hearing. DISCUSSION Council is being asked to introduce the attached ordinance creating the Tri-Valley Tourism Business Improvement District and to authorize the City Manager to enter into the attached SR:05 :331 Page 2