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Downtown ambassador program draws divided council debate over HOT funding
Summary
Council debated whether to fund the downtown ambassador program from hotel-occupancy-tax (HOT) revenues, with proponents citing tourism and cleanliness benefits and opponents questioning fairness for citywide taxpayers and citing cost constraints.
Council spent an extended portion of the work session on HOT-funded special-event allocations and the proposed ambassador program. Staff described the ambassador recommendation (a lower service level and smaller boundary at a staffing cost shown in the packet) and noted the Community Partnership Committee's rubric for allocations. Several council members urged support for the ambassadors as important to downtown safety and tourism; others questioned whether downtown businesses and visitors should bear the cost rather than citywide taxpayers.
"I would like to see it stay there, and I like for the downtown merchants to be mindful that it is we'd like to have some help with that," said one council member in favor, while another council member suggested exploring alternative funding matches and warned that reallocating HOT funds away from other eligible festival partners would not fully cover all requests. Staff said the ambassador appropriation is currently in the HOT recommendation and that contracting/service details would be addressed if council authorizes the allocation.
