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Councilors press chamber for explanation after unexpected $150,000 funding request
Summary
Councilors said the chamber’s $150,000 annual funding request arrived without notice and that the chamber has not shared audit or RFP details with its members; councilors directed staff to send the chamber a letter and circulate the audit to members before revisiting funding.
Unidentified Speaker (S2) told the council that a chamber partnership proposal "came out of the blue" and had not been shared with chamber membership or the council. Councilors said they were surprised the document had been circulated and that members did not know it was an RFP.
Unidentified Speaker (S5) said the council is "not interested in ongoing funding of any organization outside of the city," noting a $150,000 annual request would draw from city resources devoted to core services. S5 added that many chamber events are fundraisers, asking "how does the city funding the[m] making money work?" and called the request a potential conflict of interest.
Councilors recalled prior funding the chamber received: "We gave them $360,000 a year before," said Unidentified Speaker (S2), and several speakers said the chamber had the same staffing levels despite reduced city support this year. Multiple councilors said the chamber had not shared audit findings or the reasons for the RFP with its membership and asked the chamber to explain both the audit results and why certain firms, including "Cambridge," did not respond to the RFP.
Unidentified Speaker (S7) recommended a consistent response: circulate the audit and send a letter from the mayor and council explaining the current position. The council agreed to ask Keith to finalize two letters (one to the chamber and one for broader distribution) and to forward the audit and the explanatory email to membership lists so members would receive a uniform explanation. "I'll send them on to the chamber," Unidentified Speaker (S7) said when the action was confirmed.
Councilors emphasized that the $150,000 request is not part of this year’s budget and that the council would not allocate the funds now; if the chamber wants city support next year, the council asked the chamber to submit proposals through the tourism committee or to present specific, one‑time requests. The immediate next step is circulation of the audit and a formal council letter asking the chamber to explain the RFP, audit findings, and membership notification practices.
