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Council approves $20,000 from transient-occupancy tax for Larkspur Chamber, urges governance changes
Summary
Council approved a $20,000 allocation from the transient-occupancy tax (business enhancement) fund to the Larkspur Chamber of Commerce for January–June operations, with several council members asking the Chamber to adopt a board composition that better represents distinct business districts and to provide FY2025 financials.
The Larkspur City Council voted Jan. 7 to allocate the remaining $20,000 from the city's transient-occupancy tax business-enhancement fund to the Larkspur Chamber of Commerce to support marketing and local business events through June.
Chamber Executive Director Marty Murphy outlined recent member outreach, small-event programming, and marketing efforts, saying the Chamber has 93 members and is expanding social-media outreach and partnerships with local nonprofit and business groups. He said the Chamber relies on three revenue legs: city funding, membership dues and event revenue, and that the city contribution is an important stable leg for planning.
Multiple council members and downtown business representatives expressed concerns that large signature events (notably the wine stroll) can harm foot traffic for some downtown retailers and urged the Chamber to adopt structural changes so each business district has representation on the Chamber board. Public commenters asked the council to consider a small downtown-specific budget for beautification and regular small events; staff and council discussed adding that topic to a future agenda.
Council members said they would provide the $20,000 this cycle but asked the Chamber to provide actual FY2025 financial results and to pursue a representative governance model; the council said it will revisit the city's entire business-support funding approach during the next budget cycle.
