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.