Sunnyside advisory panel backs $100,000 marketing request, elects Sierra Foster vice chair

Sunnyside City Manager Mike Gonzales asked the Local Tourism Advisory Committee on Jan. 13 to recommend that city council allocate $100,000 from LTAC funds for a city-run marketing program focused on events, food tourism and a new website. The committee voted to forward the recommendation to the council and, during the same meeting, elected Sierra Foster as the committee’s vice chair.

Gonzales, who presented a draft plan to the committee and to the council the previous day, said the funding would support “video and content creation” and other digital marketing that the city has not had capacity to produce. “We’re looking for a request of a hundred thousand dollars to help market events and . . . various tourism activities around Sunnyside,” he said. Gonzales said the work would include website development, digital advertising, public relations outreach and contracted video production.

The committee’s recommendation would not itself spend the money; it sends the LTAC recommendation to Sunnyside City Council for formal action. Gonzales told the committee he envisions the city or a contracted agency running a consolidated marketing program and that Jackie (staff) could serve as a single point of contact to coordinate with outside vendors.

Committee members discussed priorities for the proposed budget and the kinds of projects $100,000 would support. Gonzales listed likely line items and said he expected website development and ongoing maintenance to be part of the plan. “My idea is to create a Sunnyside marketing website that we can control and upload content to,” Gonzales said, adding that Yakima Valley Tourism currently manages some regional content and that the city team would prefer a site Sunnyside controls.

The funding request also prompted a broader discussion of tourism priorities and event development. Committee members and staff suggested focusing on food tourism—tacos, dairy/ice-cream, hops and related events—and on improving wayfinding and signage for drivers coming off State Route 82. Gonzales described content goals as “pre, journey, post”: promotion before events, live content during events and follow-up materials afterward. He said a contracted marketing firm could help package and execute recurring events such as a downtown farmers market, a taco crawl, and enhanced coverage of signature events like Cinco de Mayo and the Infinite Parade.

Several members urged that the LTAC process become easier for event organizers to access, recommending a more flexible application schedule so events can receive funding or support outside a single annual RFP cycle. One board member suggested opening submissions year-round and using LTAC meetings to review requests that have timing constraints.

After discussion, the committee voted to recommend that the Sunnyside City Council allocate $100,000 of LTAC funds to the City of Sunnyside for marketing. A motion to forward the recommendation was made and seconded; the chair called the question and the motion passed.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Elect Sierra Foster as LTAC vice chair. Mover: Tom Denny; second: not specified in the record. Outcome: approved (aye votes recorded; no opposition indicated in the minutes).

- Motion: Recommend City Council allocate $100,000 of LTAC funds to the City of Sunnyside for a marketing program (website, digital advertising, PR, video content and related services). Mover: Tom Denny; second: Sierra Foster. Outcome: approved (motion passed).

- Motion: Approve LTAC meeting minutes for 07/12/2024. Outcome: approved.

Committee next steps and context

Gonzales said the next steps would include deciding whether to issue a single RFP for a lead marketing vendor or to contract piecemeal with multiple firms and freelancers. He told the committee he had used both approaches in previous roles and favored an arrangement that provides consistent, trackable content. Gonzales also recommended more frequent LTAC meetings (every other month) so the board can monitor progress and metrics such as site visits, reach and engagement.

Members discussed convening a larger community forum in April to gather input from local event organizers, business owners and civic groups. The board talked about hiring an outside facilitator to run a public visioning session focused on branding and event strategy; one member said they would reach out to a facilitator who had worked with regional partners.

The meeting closed with administrative business and scheduling: members agreed to a proposed April meeting to begin more structured planning and outreach.

Ending

The LTAC decision sends the $100,000 marketing recommendation to Sunnyside City Council for its consideration; any final contract awards or expenditures would require council approval. The committee plans outreach and an April forum to refine priorities and vendor scope before funds are committed.