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Council approves $111,500 chamber contract; chamber pledges new executive director and membership focus
Summary
The council approved a $111,500 agreement with the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce for tourism and business-assistance services. Chamber leaders said they plan to hire an executive director, expand membership outreach and seek diversified revenue; council members asked for bilingual outreach and stronger volunteer coverage at the chamber office.
The Lompoc City Council approved an agreement with the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce to provide business assistance and tourism promotion for $111,500. The contract passed after council members questioned reporting requirements, staffing hours at the chamber office and audit timing.
Blake Bradley, chair of the chamber, told the council the chamber is actively recruiting an executive director, expects to maintain two paid staff in the near term and is working to diversify revenue sources. The chamber said it will open a staffed in-person presence at the I Street site Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Saturday hours dependent on volunteer availability; the council asked the chamber to expand volunteer recruitment to maintain reliable weekend coverage.
Council discussion focused on number and frequency of contract deliverables and whether the required financial review would be a full certified audit; staff clarified the contract language calls for an independent financial audit, and council asked staff to confirm the scope and timing. Council also asked the chamber to boost multilingual outreach and to focus on low-barrier membership options for small and startup businesses.
Why it matters: The chamber contract represents a staffed and funded partnership to promote business development, events and tourism. Council members signaled support for the chamber's plan to strengthen operations but asked for regular reporting and clearer financial controls.
What the council directed: approve the contract with the negotiated modifications (hours, audit extension to Dec. 31 for current year's documents, clarification on event partnership language), and accept staff's recommendation to return periodic performance reporting to council.
