What is a Sonoman; City’s latest investment in tourism; and the view from Scranton
You know you’re from Sonoma when… There’s a Facebook page by that name, a place longtime locals share photos, memories and that general back-in-the-day feeling. As for being a true Sonoman, Gary Richmond offered this definition: “When you carry the Bear Flag in the Vintage Festival Parade, drink the water, pay taxes, and bury your Grandma in Mountain Cemetery.”
The Sonoma City Council approved Monday sending $100,000 of General Fund money to underwrite the Visitors Bureau, about half the tourist agency’s annual $218,000 budget. Another $100,000 comes from the Tourist Improvement District Board, which gets its money from a two percent tax on all overnight stays. That two percent slice – on top of the regular 10-percent room tax – might have come right to the city, as it does in many other Sonoma County towns. But that became a very moot point when the council this year approved a 10-year contract to keep the independent TID board in business. It’s job: promote Sonoma. Get heads in those taxable beds… As the hospitality sector grows here, so does the amount of money the TID board has to spend on ad campaigns. It should, argues David Eichar, among many, pick up the entire tab for the Visitors Bureau, which shares its mission. According to Eichar’s research: “In 2012, the then City Manager recommended, and the City Council acted upon the formation of the Sonoma TID with the intent, that if the redevelopment funds for the Visitors Bureau were cut, the Sonoma TID would pay the entire $218,000 Visitors Bureau operating expense.”… The TID is flush. In the next fiscal year, the TID’s estimated revenue is $735,000, according to the city’s 2017 budget — $295,000 more than in 2013. Says Eichar, “even if the TID paid the entire $218,000 of the Visitors Bureau operating expenses, the TID would still have $517,000 left over for marketing.” Meanwhile, the City, to make ends meet, gears up for a ballot measure to extend Measure J, the half-cent sales tax.
So what are you going to do about it? Run for City Council? If so, you have until August 12 to file your paperwork at City Hall. The pay is only $300 month, and you may take some shots in the press, but hey — full medical and dental!
The Pennsylvania Times Tribune, of Scranton, loves Sonoma. “The farmers market here is a rousing event, filling the town square with dozens of produce vendors and local bands providing nonstop music,” wrote Peter Funt, on what sounds like a pretty cushy assignment. “Selling at farmers markets is no easy task. Just ask the three young women selling strawberries from Ortiz Farms in Watsonville. Six days a week they load their vehicle with boxes of berries and drive to a different market — in the case of Sonoma, two hours each way — unload, prep the fruit, sell, load again and drive home. (But) customers I spoke with here in Sonoma believe it’s worth paying more for produce if it’s fresh-picked, chemical-free and offered by a local farmer”
–Val Robichaud
