Council member urges clearer tourism-grant rules for facility rentals

Council Member Helms asked the City of Pacific council on June 22 to develop clearer guidelines for the city’s tourism grant program to govern requests to rent municipal facilities.

At the workshop meeting immediately following the regular council session, Council Member Helms said she “would like to bring forward clearer guidelines for the grant process when we have requests for rental of our facilities.” The request was entered as a discussion item; no motion, vote or formal direction to staff was recorded in the workshop minutes.

The request was raised during a brief workshop that began at 7:10 p.m. and concluded at 7:16 p.m. Council President Kerry Garberding presided; council members present included Katie Garberding, Helms, Jackson and Petersen, with Mayor Pro Tem Putnam participating although he said he will be out of town for a conference but available by phone. Council Member Boles and Mayor Kave were marked absent.

City staff listed as present in the minutes were City Administrator George Martinez, City Engineer David Yaghoobi, Community Development Director Carl de Simas, Parks & Recreation Director Kevin Caviezel, Information Technology Director Lorden Ingraham, Public Works Director Rick Gehrke and City Clerk Laurie Cassell.

The workshop record shows the tourism-grant item was added to the agenda by Council Member Helms for clarification of process and standards related to facility rental requests under the grant program. The minutes do not specify what changes Helms would propose, any funding implications, a timetable for drafting guidelines, or whether staff were directed to prepare a report. The council adjourned the workshop at 7:16 p.m.