CITY COUNCIL: Approval of the Annual Hospitality Improvement District (HID) Report & Annual Council Review of the Assessment

Meeting Date: May 7, 2013

Prepared by: Heidi Burch, Asst City Administrator

City Council

Agenda Item Summary

Name: Approval of the annual Hospitality Improvement District (HID) report and annual Council review of the assessment.

Description: In accordance with Municipal Code Section 3.40.050, the City Council shall annually conduct a public hearing to review the Hospitality Improvement District assessment.

Overall Cost:
City Funds: N/ A
Grant Funds: N/A

Staff Recommendation: Approve the HID report and review the assessment.

Important Considerations: All of the assessments imposed pursuant to the Municipal Code shall be reviewed by the Carmel City Council annually each year, based upon the annual report prepared by the Advisory Board. After approval of the annual report, the Carmel City Council shall conduct a public hearing to levy assessment for the ensuing fiscal year. If at the conclusion of the public hearing there are written protests by the owners of the lodging operations within the HID that would pay 50 percent or more of the total assessments of the entire HID, there will be no assessed levy in the ensuing fiscal year.

The purpose the HID is to provide revenue to defray the costs of services, activities and programs promoting tourism that will benefit the operators of lodging operations in the HID through the promotion oflodging operations and the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea for small conferences and groups.

The current assessment levied on all lodging operations within the HID boundaries is based upon
the formula of $1 per occupied room/unit per night.

A protest may be made orally or in writing by any interested person, but only those protests submitted by those lodging operations that would pay the assessments under the proposed HID will be counted for purposes of determining a majority protest. Protests may be submitted at the hearing, by mail, or in person to the City Clerk. If, at the conclusion of the public hearing on May 7, 2013, written protests are received from the owners of lodging operations in the proposed area which will pay 50 percent or more of the assessments of the entire HID, there will be no levy in the ensuing fiscal year.

Decision Record: The City Council established the HID in August of2012.
Reviewed by:


Jason Stilwell, City Administrator Date

Hospitality Improvement Status Report

September 7, 2012:
Inns started collecting $1.00 per occupied room night.

September 25, 2012:
Election of the HID Advisory Board.

December 18, 2012:
HID receives the first check.

December 2012:
Interviews conducted for the Destination Marketing Manager position.

January 3, 2013:
Safarina Maluki comes on board. Her new office located upstairs in the Carmel Chamber of Commerce offices.

January 2013:
DMM spent most of January visiting all 45 inns in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

February 21, 2013:
Meeting Planners International (MPI) Northern California’s Annual Conference & Expo in San Francisco with MCCVB.

March 5, 2013:
HID received 2nd check

March 21 – 23, 2013
MCCVB Client Advisory Board
All meetings were hosted at the Sunset Cultural Center and dinners at restaurants in Carmel. Provided the unique opportunity to showcase what we are doing in Carmel and get valuable feedback from national meeting professionals as we move forward.

March 25 – 27, 2013
First Carmel-by-the-Sea Familiarization trip:
Hosted a Fam trip that was attended by meeting planners from Varian Medical Systems and Hotelbeds Inc. Clients stayed at different properties and had the opportunity to site available function space at our local properties and the Sunset Cultural Center.

April 3-4, 2013:
Tradeshows/Client Events
MCCVB San Francisco Client event
Over 60 qualified meeting planners from San Francisco businesses met with representatives from local Peninsula hotels and venues. Gave us the opportunity to have one-on-one interaction with bona fide planners that bring groups to the area.

MCCVB Silicon Valley Client event
Similar to the previous day’s client event, we had the one-on-one opportunity to showcase our product to 40 qualified meeting planners from Silicon Valley businesses.

April 26, 2013:
PR Firm selected - Hunter Public Relations - local firm based in Carmel with staff support
and branch offices in New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Florida and Washington, D.C.

May 1, 2013:
DMM Administrative Assistant (part time)
Barbara Hardy hired as part-time administrative assistant to DMM. Ms. Hardy’s start date was Wednesday, May 1, 2013.

May 10, 2013:
www.meetingincarmel.com

The meeting planner website is in its final stages of development and will be launched.
Client site inspections of note

April 24, 2013:
Met with meeting planners/decision makers for upcoming IFAC NOLCOS 2016 conference.
Group is looking to place and house 250 – 300 attendees, September 2016. Will be submitting
proposal and costs for approval. Clients looking to finalize decision and contract by end of
August 2013 so that they can announce at this year’s conference in Toulouse, France in
September 2013.

Upcoming site inspection with Senior Meeting planner for Genentech (May 3rd). Client is
considering Carmel-by-the-Sea for two small programs (September and November 2013).

Upcoming:
2nd Fam Trip: May 20 – 22, 2013
Sacramento Client Event: May 7 – 8, 2013
San Diego Client Event: June 25, 2013