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Developer and business owners press council for transparency on Visit Petersburg spending and façade grants
Summary
At the work session, local developer Ajani Secoo and others called for clearer accounting of Visit Petersburg's budget and greater availability of façade grants; Secoo said marketing decisions appear opaque and asked for more accessible grant funding for building improvements.
Ajani Secoo, a business owner and developer, told council that façade grants were not available when needed and questioned how Visit Petersburg allocates one of the city's larger budgets. He said more transparency in marketing decisions and fund allocation is needed for small businesses to participate.
"I feel like the path that the city is on amazing trajectory, but we gotta clean up on some of these things," Secoo said, urging transparency and offering to work with the city. He said he recently paid taxes and needs help to renovate his building front, estimating a $5,000 cost for façade work. The transcript shows no direct administrative response to Secoo's request during the meeting.
Other commenters also raised tourism representation and inclusion concerns during public comment, and the matter intersects with scheduled agenda items on CDBG and community development resources.
