Chamber contract extended two years

One of Yorba Linda's longest-lasting relationships – a more than quarter-century-old service agreement between the city and the Chamber of Commerce – has been renewed for two more years on a 5-0 City Council vote.

Terms of the six-page pact include the city's $25,000 annual payments to the chamber, with chamber officials agreeing to 14 performance measures to be updated in quarterly reports to the council.

The 102-year-old local chamber chapter has 324 dues-paying members, mostly area businesses and organizations but including two individual memberships, Mayor Gene Hernandez and school trustee Karin Freeman.

Among chamber goals for 2015-16 is increasing membership 10 percent to help move the chamber's budget out of the red, “an issue that the chamber Executive Committee is addressing,” according to a report from Phyllis Coleman, the group's executive director.

Aside from the city subsidy and membership dues, revenue comes from well-attended, city-wide fund-raising events and various sponsorships, with some income funding 12 scholarships that include seven chamber and three Fullerton College grants and First Bank and Jim Winder scholarships each year.

The city “continues to benefit greatly” by the chamber “supporting and promoting its local businesses,” noted city management analyst Allison Estes in a recent report to council members.

According to Estes, the chamber performs “the ministerial and administrative functions associated with promoting the interests of the city, including hosting a number of programs to promote small businesses in the community...and disseminating business, industrial and residential information.”

One major chamber endeavor, the glossy, quarterly “Insider” magazine, lost money the past year, with annual costs totaling $18,504 against $12,480 in revenue. The “E-News” newsletters cost $300 and garnered $50 sponsor income per issue.

Five annual events are more financially successful, including the popular Taste of Yorba Linda, which attracted 61 restaurants and 1,100 attendees and netted $33,319 last July. The September State of the City Address had 186 in attendance and 26 sponsors for $1,957 revenue after expenses.

An October Community Faire drew more than 2,000 people to view 65 car show entries, 39 business booths, nine chili cook-off participants and a duck race, netting $5,681. A First Annual Comedy Night, with 160 attending, made $3,000, and an e-waste collection brought in $612.

Interestingly, the chamber last year processed 175 “certificates of origin,” required for businesses exporting goods outside of the country, answered hundreds of monthly requests for business and other referrals and hosted Principal for a Day and recognition for police, fire and emergency personnel.

And in response to past controversy, the agreement states that chamber resources can't be used for political candidate or local initiative or referendum campaign activity.