HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 08/05/2015 LODGING TAX ADVISORY COMMITTEE
August 5,2015 at 11 a.m.
City Council Chambers, City Hall/Port Angeles, Washington
CALL TO ORDER
Committee Chair Cherie Kidd called the meeting to order at I I am.
ROLL CALL
Voting Members Present: Cherie Kidd, Ryan Malane and Vicki Heckman.
Non-Voting Members Present: Dave Shargel
City Staff Present: Nathan West,Jennifer Veneklasen, Ben Braudrick and Heidi Greenwood.
MINUTES
Committee approved minutes from its February 25,2015 meeting.
BUDGET ALLOCATION FOR MARKETING AND VISITOR CENTER
Nathan West, Director of Community and Economic Development,recommended the committee use funding
allocations that it recommended to City Council in 2015 as a starting point. Those amounts were:
• $175,000 for marketing
• $78,500 for Visitors Center operations
Committee discussion followed.
Director West spoke about the City Council's priority setting process, and said that one of the items that came out
of that process was allocating funds to cover City resources used for distributing Lodging Tax.
It was moved by Malane and seconded by Heckman to:
Increase the marketing budget by$20,000.
The motion passed 3-0.
PRESENTATION ON RFP PROCESS REVIEW AND MODIFICATIONS
Director West conducted a Powerpoint presentation that outlined:
• Goals for the marketing and Visitors' Center Request For Proposals (RFPs)
• Feedback from last year's proposers
• Recommended changes to the RFPs
• Tentative schedule
Committee discussion followed.
The committee agreed by consensus to reduce the 45 day response time given to proposers to 30 days, and to
shorten the time allotted for the committee to score proposals.
Committee recommendations for the 2016 RFPs included:
• Asking proposers to be clearer on where funding is spent—what is related to media buys and what is for
creative expenses
• Shifting points away from"experience" and giving more weight to marketing strategy
• Disallowing scores of 0; require that committee members give some type of scoring for each proposal
• Allowing the committee to formally disqualify an applicant rather than scoring 0
• Incorporate a way of judging measurable outcomes
LTAC Minutes
August 5,2015
Page 2
Clearly lay out expectations for Visitors Center operations in the RFP.This includes addressing whether
or not a private business can operate the Visitors Center, and asking proposers to clarify the resources and
space dedicated to visitors.
Director West thanked the committee for its feedback and said the final draft of the RFP will be sent to committee
member via email. He asked that committee members not"reply all"to that email,but instead send comments
directly to staff so that the committee stays in compliance with Open Public Meetings Act.
The committee agreed by consensus that staff should send the 2016 RFP directly to the top 4 finalists from last
year. The committee further agreed to remain open to new proposals and to withhold the release of applicant
submittals until after finalists are selected and invited to an interview.
INFORMATION
Director West noted that the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce's first and second quarter reports
were included in the committee's packet.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Kidd adjourned the meeting at 11;54 a.m.
Cherie Kidd, Chair kmifer eneklasen, City Clerk