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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORD COUNTY.
NINE O'CLOCK LIKE TO CALL THE MEETING ORDER.
PLEASE NOTE THAT, UH, IN THE PAST TOWN STAFF HAS, UH, ASKED US TO CONFIRM FOIA.
THEY'VE ALREADY DONE THAT, UH, FOR THIS MEETING.
SO WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH FOIA.
UM, OUR FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA.
ANY DISCUSSION? MOVE TO, I MOVE TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.
ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY RAISING YOUR HAND.
THE, UH, SECOND IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MINUTES? I I JUST HAVE ONE POINT.
I WANNA THANK TOWN COUNCIL ONCE AGAIN FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF FOIA REQUIREMENTS, ETHICS, INTEGRITY, AND FOR FOLLOWING UP.
HE SENT TO EACH OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS THE ACTUAL STATE STATUTES.
SO WE MAKE SURE THAT AT ALL TIMES WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THAT.
I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND I APPRECIATE THAT, SIR.
ANYTHING ELSE? CAN WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES, PLEASE? I MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
MR. FARRELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? THANK YOU.
UM, SO WE'RE GONNA GO ON TO, UH, NEW BUSINESS.
GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
UM, THANK YOU GUYS FOR COMING THIS MORNING.
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF US.
SO FIRST ITEM UNDER NEW BUSINESS IS REVIEW OF THE PROPOSED DATES AND TIMES FOR THE APPLICANT HEARINGS.
THERE ARE TWO DATES, THE 16TH AND 23RD OF NEXT MONTH, OCTOBER.
AND WE JUST HAVE A DRAFT HERE IN HERE AND WE, WE PUT DRAFT ON IT BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE DO HAVE SOME LAST MINUTE CHANGES.
SOME APPLICANTS MAY COME IN AND SAY SOMETHING'S, SOMETHING'S HAPPENED IN THEIR SCHEDULE, THEY NEED TO CHANGE.
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S GOT DRAFT ON IT.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART THIS IS PRETTY SET.
UM, IF WE HAVE ANY CHANGES, WE WILL DEFINITELY SEND YOU OUT A REVISED SCHEDULE, BUT THAT IS THE, THE PROPOSED SCHEDULE AT THIS TIME.
SO WE'VE GOT EVERYBODY SCHEDULED UP AND WE WILL PROVIDE LUNCH FOR YOU.
SO WE WON'T LET YOU GO HUNGRY 'CAUSE IT'S A LONG DAY BOTH DAYS.
SO WE'LL HAVE THAT IN ONE OF OUR CONFERENCE ROOMS RIGHT HERE NEXT TO, TO THE CHAMBERS.
DO ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ACTUAL HEARINGS OR ANYTHING? NO.
I'M NEW TO IT, BUT YOU'RE NOT RIGHT
SO I, I HEAR YOU, YOU LEARN A LOT ABOUT THE APPLICANT.
SO, UM, I'M READY TO, TO HEAR WHAT EVERYBODY HAS GOING FORWARD FOR THIS YEAR.
IF WE'RE GOOD, WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.
PRELIMINARY REVIEW OF THE 2026 ACCOMMODATIONS TAX GRANT APPLICATIONS.
WANTED TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY CINDY IRVIN AND SHENA SMITH WEREN'T ABLE TO BE HERE TODAY, BUT WITHOUT A DOUBT, UM, HUGE THANK YOU TO BOTH OF THEM.
IT WAS A BIG TEAM EFFORT THIS YEAR.
WE TOOK A WEEK, IT TOOK US A WEEK
SO WE AS A STAFF REVIEWED THEM AND TRIED TO HELP ORGANIZE THEM IN A WAY THAT WOULD HELP YOU AS THE COMMITTEE A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
SO WHEN YOU OPEN UP EACH APPLICANT FILE, THERE WILL BE SUB FOLDERS AND THEY ALL LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME.
SO IF YOU'RE GOING, WHERE ARE THE FINANCIALS? THERE'S A, THERE'S A FOLDER CALLED FINANCIALS.
THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GONNA FIND THE BALANCE SHEETS, THE PROFIT AND LOSS, ANYTHING FINANCIAL.
THERE'S ANOTHER ONE THAT'S JUST, JUST THEIR BASIC APPLICATION THAT'S NOT A FOLDER.
BUT THEN THERE'S ANOTHER ONE CALLED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS.
AND THAT'S WHERE YOU'LL FIND ANY VISITOR SURVEYS OR THE EFFECTIVENESS FORMS. SO IT'S ALL ORGANIZED.
SO WE'RE HOPING THAT WILL HELP YOU AS YOU GO THROUGH ALL THESE APPLICATIONS YOURSELF.
UM, BUT I WANNA GIVE A BIG THANK YOU TO SHANNON AND ZENDAYA.
THE NICE THING ABOUT THAT PROCESS IS WE LEARNED A LOT OURSELVES ABOUT IT.
UM, JUST HOW WE CAN MAYBE BETTER IMPROVE THE APPLICATION ITSELF.
'CAUSE IF WE HAVE QUESTIONS AS STAFF, WE'RE PROBABLY PRETTY CERTAIN THAT THE, THE APPLICANTS MAY HAVE SOME OF THE SAME QUESTIONS.
SO IT WAS A GOOD PROCESS TO GO THROUGH.
AND SO WE'VE MADE NOTES AND WE HOPE TO IMPROVE THAT NEXT YEAR'S APPLICATION FOR THE APPLICANTS TOO.
FOR ANYONE WHO'S NOT BEEN IN IT YET.
UH, IN THE PAST YOU MIGHT HAVE TO HUNT AND PACK JUST EVEN TO FIND THE CURRENT YEAR'S APPLICATION.
SOMETIMES IT WAS IN A STANDALONE, SOMETIMES IT WAS IN, UM, THE CURRENT YEAR'S FILE.
SO THIS WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK, I THINK STANDARDIZE THIS AND I APPRECIATE IT.
I'M ALSO AWARE THAT TOWN STAFF WAS ABLE TO CONTACT SOME OF THE APPLICANTS BECAUSE BY STANDARDIZING IT LIKE THIS, IT POINTED OUT EVEN MORE CLEARLY IF SOMETHING WAS MISSING
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FROM THE APPLICATION, SO THAT THEY WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO AHEAD AND FILL THAT BACK IN.SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MICHELLE.
AND THAT REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IS REALLY A STANDARD PROCEDURE IN THE GRANT WORLD.
SO IT'S SOMETHING I'M ACCUSTOMED TO IN MY ROLE HERE AS THE TOWN.
I CAN SEE AS THE GRAND GRANT, YOU KNOW, GRANTEE, WHEN THEY COME BACK AND ASK FOR THAT, IT DOES HELP AND YOU LEARN ALONG THE WAY.
SO WE'RE HOPING THAT IT WAS A LEARNING PROCESS EVEN FOR THE APPLICANTS.
YOU KNOW, WE ARE PAYING ATTENTION, WE ARE LOOKING AT THESE FILES AND WE WANT TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT THE APPLICATIONS THAT THEY PROVIDE TO YOU ARE, ARE GOOD QUALITY APPLICATIONS AND IT REPRESENTS THEM HOW THEY WOULD LIKE.
SO IT WAS A NICE STEP TO DO THIS YEAR AND WE HOPE TO DO THAT NEXT YEAR AS WELL.
UM, I HAVE UP ON SCREEN, THIS IS WHAT KIND OF CAME OUT OF IT IS THESE ARE ALL THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS, THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.
SO YOU HAVE YOUR P AND L, THE PROFIT AND LOSS, THE BALANCE SHEETS, THE NINE 90 FORMS, IF THEY'RE APPLICABLE, WHICH WE HAVE, HAVE LEARNED A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE
IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE IT, THERE'S A NO, UM, VERY POINT BLANK.
WE THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO YOU.
SO AS YOU'RE EVALUATING IT, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY GO THROUGH THE APPLICANT HEARINGS, YOU CAN ALSO ASK QUESTIONS.
THERE MAY BE REASONS AND SOME OF 'EM DO.
SOME OF 'EM MAY NOT HAVE VISITOR SURVEYS FOR CERTAIN REASONS.
THOSE ARE GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK THE APPLICANTS WHEN THEY COME UP.
SO WE THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD LITTLE CHEAT SHEET.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO PROVIDE YOU CLIFF NOTES.
THIS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE, IN THE, IN THE OTHER, UH, AGENDAS, RIGHT IN THE PACKAGE.
WE CAN KEEP INCLUDING THAT IF YOU WANT THIS DOCUMENT OVER AGAIN.
UM, WE THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE JUST HELPFUL FOR YOU GUYS AND SO IF IT'S YELLOW, THAT MEANS THERE WAS NO RESPONSE BACK.
AND SO, OR IF WE HAD A RESPONSE, UM, AND THERE WAS STILL SOME QUESTION, WE PUT A, UM, ANOTHER SUB FOLDER IN THE APPLICANT FILE THAT SAID ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND THAT'S WHERE YOU'LL FIND THOSE EMAILS THAT WERE SENT BACK TO US AND GAVE REASONS FOR WHATEVER QUESTIONS WE HAD.
SO JUST SO YOU HAVE THE SAME INFORMATION WE HAVE AS STAFF, RIGHT? TO HELP YOU.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT PROCESS? HOPEFULLY THAT WILL HELP A LITTLE BIT.
IT'S A LOT OF APPLICATION APPLICATIONS TO GO THROUGH.
THERE ARE FIVE NEW APPLICATIONS THIS YEAR, AS YOU CAN TELL.
WE HAD 32 LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR WE HAVE 37.
UM, WHICH ALSO, IF YOU SEE IN THE NOTES IN THE STAFF REPORT, THERE IS AN INCREASE OBVIOUSLY IN THE FUNDING REQUEST THEN.
SO THE FUNDING REQUEST THIS YEAR WAS $4,655,093.
AND AS YOU'RE AWARE, TOWN POLICY APPROVED A FUNDING DISTRIBUTION POLICY BACK IN JULY.
THAT FUNDING DISTRIBUTION POLICY ACTUALLY DID ESTABLISH A NUMBER, A PERCENTAGE.
SO IT DID GIVE YOU AN AMOUNT TO WORK OFF OF SO THAT YOU HAVE A, A, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A WORKING NUMBER THAT IS, THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED NOW BY TOWN DOWN COUNCIL SO THAT YOU CAN WORK OFF OF.
UM, AND IT WAS 33% OF THE PROPOSED AT TAX DOLLARS.
SO THAT NUMBER HERE, I PUT IN THE FILE FOR YOU TOO, WHICH IS 4 MILLION 76 70, WELL 4 MILLION, LITTLE OVER FOUR, FOUR POINT CLOSE TO 4.1.
UM, SO WE DO HAVE SOME EVALUATIONS TO, TO LOOK AT, UM, FOR THESE AAX GRANTS.
SO, BUT WE DID ALSO THROUGHOUT LAST YEAR REMIND EVERYBODY THAT WE ARE COMING FROM COVID.
SO WE WERE AWARE THAT THE NUMBERS EVEN FOR AT TAX, WERE GONNA BE COMING DOWN, WE'RE STARTING TO TO LEVEL OUT FROM THOSE YEARS.
SO WHEN I PULLED THE, THE 2025 APPS AND SOME BEFORE THAT, I LOOKED AT THE FUNDING NUMBERS.
AND ALSO IN YOUR SHEET, IN YOUR PACKET THERE IS THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WELL FROM 2020 COVID.
AND IT GIVES YOU THE AMOUNT OF AWARDS FOR THOSE, THOSE YEARS.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE UHHUH
SO IS, YOU SAID THERE'S FIVE, IS THERE FIVE NEW OR FIVE ADDITIONAL FIVE? THERE ARE FIVE ADDITIONAL.
SOME HAVE BEEN APPLICANTS BEFORE, BUT THEY JUST DIDN'T APPLY LAST YEAR AND SOME ARE NEW.
SO 32 WERE, HAVE, HAVE BEEN APPLICANTS BEFORE.
UM, SO HERE YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM YOU'LL HAVE YOUR TOTALS.
I WISH YOU HAD SAID NEEDED TO KEEP THAT LIKE TOP TO SAY THERE, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, WE'RE PRETTY MUCH IN THE SAME BALLPARK AS WHAT YOU USED TO BE.
SO THAT 4 MILLION NUMBER, ALMOST 4.1, THAT NOW IS THE POLICY, THE, THE APPROVED NUMBER.
AND THE POLICY IS RIGHT IN LINE WITH THIS.
WHEN THE STAFF ACTUALLY CAME UP WITH A PROPOSED POLICY FOR TOWN COUNCIL, WE LOOKED AT ALL THESE NUMBERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE STAYING PRETTY CONSISTENT WITH WHAT HAD BEEN ACCUSTOMED FOR THE GROUP.
UM, DAVE, I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT MICHELLE, AS, AS
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A REMINDER, LAST YEAR WE SPENT A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME, WE LOOKED AT WHAT THE FULL FUNDING WOULD BE, PRESUMING WE GOT THE NUMBER THAT WAS PROJECTED, BUT WE WERE ALSO BEING GIVEN GUIDANCE, WE MIGHT LOSE 10% OF THAT IN THE FINAL QUARTER OF THE YEAR.SO THIS COMMITTEE SPENT HOURS MM-HMM
WORKING WITH THAT SECONDARY NUMBER BY THE TOWN GIVING US THIS $4,078,000 NUMBER.
THAT'S A HARD NUMBER FOR US TO WORK THROUGH.
THE TOWN HAS THE AUTHORITY IF THEY CHOSE TO GO BACK AND CHANGE THAT, BUT THIS IS THE NUMBER THAT THE TOWN COUNCIL HAS APPROVED.
SO IT'S, WE HAVE A SOLID NUMBER TO WORK WITH.
WE ALL WISH IT WERE MORE, BUT
YEAH, AND THAT WAS A BIG QUESTION.
I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST CAME, ONE OF THE FIRST MEETINGS, YOU GUYS HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION GOING BACK AND FORTH ON HOW MUCH, YOU KNOW, INCREASE OR NOT INCREASE.
AND SO THIS IS YOUR NUMBERS, SO THIS SHOULD HELP WITH THAT PROCESS.
UM, JUST TO ADD TO THAT, LAST YEAR THEY, THE TOWN DID GIVE FULL FUNDING THOUGH.
THEY JUST FOUND THE MONEY ELSEWHERE MM-HMM
CORRECT? NOW, NOW THE DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR IS THAT IT IS AN ADOPTED POLICY BY RESOLUTION.
SO IF TOWN COUNCIL WANTS TO MAKE ANY CHANGES, IT IS A MORE FORMAL PROCESS.
WHAT WHAT WOULD THAT, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT PROCESS WOULD BE? WOULD THEY HAVE TO JUST VOTE ON IT OR, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THEY WOULD HAVE TO BRING IT UP FOR A VOTE.
JUST LIKE ANYTHING INDEPENDENT OF US.
WE STILL MAKE OUR RECOMMENDATION THE SAME.
BUT THEY'RE HOPING TO KEEP CONSISTENT WITH THIS POLICY AS WITH ANY POLICY.
UM, SO, UM, SO EVERYTHING'S IN YOUR AGENDA PACKET, ALL THESE LITTLE TOOLS, ALL THIS INFORMATION FOR YOU TO KIND OF LOOK BACK ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT DID WE PREVIOUSLY FUND, WHO WAS FUNDED, WHAT DID THEY ASK FOR IN THOSE YEARS? WE'RE HOPING ALL THAT WILL BE HELPFUL AS YOU GO THROUGH AND YOU START LOOKING AT THESE APPLICATIONS TO EVALUATE.
BUT I TOTALED UP THE NUMBERS LIKE FROM 2020 TO 2025 AND IT WAS ABOUT 20.9 MILLION.
I'M JUST APPROXIMATING IT, NOT EXACT NUMBERS.
AND IF YOU DIVIDE THAT BY SIX, THE AVERAGE ON AT TAX DOLLARS WAS ABOUT 3.4 MILLION.
SO 4 MILLION IS NOT REALLY OFF THE MARK BY ANY MEANS.
UM, BUT THAT NUMBER ALSO CAN HELP YOU FEEL CONFIDENT AS YOU MOVE FORWARD IN, IN EVALUATING THESE.
SO, UM, AND THEN HOPEFULLY THE NEXT ROUND YOU WILL MAKE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE F AND A COMMITTEE AND THEN THEY WILL MAKE THEIR RECOMMENDATION TO TOWN COUNCIL.
SO DID ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? I MEAN, YOU WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE STAY IN THAT, THAT WE STAY IN THAT $4 MILLION RANGE AND THEN IF, IF THE, THE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE MORE TO ASK FOR THAT THEY TAKE UP AT TOWN COUNCIL THEMSELVES, THEY CAN, IF THEY WOULD LIKE.
BUT WE'RE, WE, YOU KNOW, TOWN COUNCIL HAS PUT THEIR CONFIDENCE IN YOU AS THE ATAC COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THESE APPLICATIONS AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON THAT POLICY.
THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THE, UH, MULTI-YEAR SUMMARY TOGETHER TOO.
THAT'S KIND OF HELPFUL TO LOOK AT AND SEE WHAT PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN.
IT'S ANOTHER TOOL TO, TO, TO CONSIDER.
SO WE'RE REALLY ABOUT, ABOUT A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS OFF, UH, APPLICATIONS VERSUS APPLICATION TOTAL REQUESTS VERSUS WHAT'S AVAILABLE, CORRECT.
FROM, YEAH, FROM WHAT'S AVAILABLE.
YEAH, IT'S A LITTLE, IT IS A LITTLE OVER FIVE, $580,000 OR SO.
AND THEN WHEN I DID ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE FUNDS REQUEST FOR 26, UM, IT WAS 578,000 OVER FROM LAST YEAR, WHICH I FOUND INTERESTING THE NUMBERS.
SO JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS AND YOU RUN 'EM, YOU'LL SEE KIND OF WHERE THEY'RE ALL FALLING IN LINE.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT POLICY, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US TOWN COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS AS THE COMMITTEE AND ATHLETES, WE ALL WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE STAYING CONSISTENT AND HELPFUL FOR OUR APPLICANTS.
IS THE, IS THE DATA AVAILABLE TO US ABOUT WHAT WAS AWARDED VERSUS WHAT WAS REDEEMED FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR? WE WILL PROVIDE THAT FOR YOU LATER AS YOU GO THROUGH THE HEARINGS.
WE CAN LET YOU KNOW WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY ACTUALLY EXPENDED AND WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LEFTOVER AND MORE OF A COMMENT THAN A QUESTION THAT WHAT MICHELLE SHAYNA ANDE HAVE DONE FOR US IS QUITE HELPFUL WITH THE, THE CHEAT SHEET BECAUSE THEY SPENT A WEEK, THREE OF YOU SPENT A WEEK ON IT.
WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT'S WITH THE MEAT OF IT AND THE, AND THE REAL SUBSTANCE OF IT, WHICH IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.
AND NOT ONLY FOR THIS YEAR, BUT, BUT FOR NEW MEMBERS.
I MEAN, THE FIRST YEAR, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY HOURS I SPENT
SO NOT ONLY FOR THIS COMMITTEE, FOR THE NEWER FOLKS, BUT IN FUTURE YEARS NOW, THERE'S A TEMPLATE THERE THAT'S GONNA BE A LOT EASIER.
AND AGAIN, I THINK THERE'S A BENEFIT TO EACH OF THE, UH, GRANT FOLKS, BECAUSE IF WE'RE MISSING SOMETHING, IT'S A LOT EASIER TO TELL THEM THAT WE'RE MISSING SOMETHING NOW.
SO WE GET IT IN AND WE DON'T COMPROMISE THEM AT ALL.
AS A NEW MEMBER, YOU'VE BEEN A LOT OF HELP TO ME SO FAR, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I KNOW I'VE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS
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THANK YOU.MICHELLE, JUST TO BE CLEAR ON THIS, ON THIS, UH, THIS, THE, THE FIVE YEAR, UH, SPREADSHEET MM-HMM
THE, THE, THE ONLY THING MISSING FROM THERE ARE THE NEW, NEW APPLICATIONS THEY NEVER APPLIED FOR.
SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 4.2 AND 4.7.
SO THOSE, THE 20 TWOS NOT UP THERE YET.
SO THE NEW ADS ARE BASICALLY $400,000.
SO WE'LL ADD THAT TO THE SHEET FOR YOU LATER.
DO YOU WANT US TO ADD THAT FOR YOUR APPLICANT HEARINGS? DO YOU WANT US TO AMEND THIS ONE? GO AHEAD AND AMEND IT AND PUT THE 26 UP HERE.
I MEAN, IT, IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL.
I COULD, I MEAN, I GUESS IT WOULD JUST BE LIKE, IT WOULD BE LIKE SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT AREN'T EVEN ASKING LIKE, UH, YEAH, YOU SEE THE DASHES IN HERE? YEAH.
WE'LL, WE'LL AMEND IT AND PUT 26 UP THERE FOR YOU.
MICHELLE, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, THE SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATIONS AND THE PEOPLE THAT HAVEN'T FINISHED HAVEN'T QUITE FINISHED OR THEY HAVE SOME PIECES OF THEIR APPLICATION MISSING.
HAS THAT, HAVE THEY COMPLETED THAT? THIS WAS JUST A PRELIMINARY REVIEW.
SO THIS IS, THIS SHEET WAS AFTER WE ASKED FOR A SECOND ROUND OF INFORMATION, THIS WAS THEIR FINAL CHANCE TO SUBMIT ANYTHING.
AND THEN NOW WHEN YOU GO INTO THE HEARINGS, YOU CAN LOOK AT THAT SHEET AND ASK MAYBE WHY THAT ITEM IS MISSING.
AND THERE COULD BE DEFINITELY A REASON.
IT COULD BE ANOTHER EMAIL IN THE FILE THAT WOULD EXPLAIN IT.
THERE WAS ONE LADY WHO COULDN'T MAKE THE, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS ONE LADY WHO COULDN'T MAKE THE, THE APPLICANT WORKSHOP BECAUSE SHE HAD BROKE HER ANKLE OR LEG, ONE OF THE TWO, I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT SHE DID CALL.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOMETIMES SOME EXPLANATIONS, FURTHER EXPLANATIONS THEY CAN PROVIDE YOU.
SO NOT EVERYTHING HERE IS, UM, REQUIRED.
THEY'RE NOT RE LIKE, THEY'RE NOT REQUIRED TO GIVE US THEIR BUDGET.
THEY ARE REQUIRED TO GIVE YOU A BUDGET.
SO IF IT'S BLANK, IT'S JUST PENDING, IT COULD BE PENDING OR COULD BE THAT IT WASN'T MAYBE WHAT WE FELT WAS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO EVALUATE IT APPROPRIATELY.
SO, AND THEN SOMETIMES, LIKE I SAID, THERE MIGHT BE AN EMAIL IN THERE THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN IT FURTHER FOR YOU.
BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY AS YOU'RE EVALUATING THESE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ME STAFF AND WE'RE HAPPY TO HELP YOU FOR SURE.
THAT, THAT, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
ON THE BUDGETS, THAT IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
WE'VE HAD SITUATIONS, DAVID, THAT, THAT ARE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF THE FISCAL YEAR OF THE ORGANIZATION.
THEY HAVEN'T YET APPROVED THE NEW BUDGET FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
SO WE'VE HAD ORGANIZATIONS SAY, WELL, OUR BOARD HASN'T YET APPROVED IT, SO WE CAN'T GIVE IT TO YOU.
AND WE'RE, WELL THEN GIVE US A DRAFT.
THERE ARE SOME LEGITIMATE REASONS, BUT TO YOUR POINT, IF SOMEONE DOESN'T PROVIDE A BUDGET, WE, WE NEED TO MAKE DECISIONS BASED UPON THEM.
THIS KIND OF GOES BACK TO WHAT YOU WERE ASKING MR. THERE'S THE 26TH REQUEST, SO THIS IS IN YOUR AGENDA PACKET, BUT WE'LL ADD IT TO THAT OTHER DOCUMENT SO THAT IT'S ALL TOGETHER.
BUT THIS GIVES YOU IDEA THAT'S IN YOUR AGENDA PACKET NOW TOO FOR YOU.
SO THERE'S YOUR BOTTOM NUMBER, SO THAT'S IN THERE.
UM, IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THAT, TO HELP YOU ALONG, WE DO HAVE, I WANTED TO BRING BACK THE, SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE EVALUATION SCORING RUBRIC.
OBVIOUSLY THAT IS NOT A MANDATED PART OF THE POLICY THAT WAS APPROVED BY TOWN COUNCIL.
THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A WORK IN PROGRESS.
UM, WE WENT BACK AS STAFF AND EVALUATED BASED ON SOME FEEDBACK FROM YOU AS COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND APPLICANTS AND WE KIND OF NARROWED IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE, KIND OF MADE IT A LITTLE BIT, HOPEFULLY MORE SIMPLE, A LITTLE BIT SIMPLIFIED.
SO IT'S NOT KIND OF, IT SEEMED A LITTLE DAUNTING AT FIRST.
SO, UM, WE WILL SEND THAT OUT TO YOU IN AN EMAIL AFTER THIS MEETING.
BUT IT'S JUST A TOOL IS ALL IT IS.
IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA, ESPECIALLY AS A NEW MEMBER, WHAT TO LOOK FOR.
YOU KNOW, THAT THESE ARE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS WE LOOK FOR, THIS IS A VISITOR SURVEY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
IT GIVES YOU JUST KIND OF SOME GUIDELINES.
UM, AND THEN IT GIVES YOU LIKE A LITTLE SCORING SHEET IF YOU WANT TO USE IT.
IT'S NOTHING YOU HAVE TO TURN INTO STAFF AT ALL.
THIS IS ONLY FOR YOU, EACH COMMITTEE MEMBER.
UM, HOPEFULLY WHAT WE'RE THINKING IS THAT AS YOU GO THROUGH THE APPLICATIONS AND YOU LOOK AT THAT GUIDELINE AND YOU KIND OF WORK THROUGH THEM, IT WILL HELP YOU KIND OF MAYBE FORMULATE SOME QUESTIONS FOR DIALOGUE AMONG YOURSELVES AS COMMITTEE MEMBERS OR QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANTS DURING THE HEARINGS SO THAT YOU CAN GET THE MOST INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS.
ARE THE FIVE NEW APPLICANTS HIGHLIGHTED HERE? SO WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE AND THEY ARE NOT, BUT I CAN DO THAT AND SEND THAT BACK OUT IN THE EMAIL TO YOU IF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, DO WE GENERALLY GIVE THEM A PREFERENCE OF ANY SORT NEW APPLICANTS OVER EX OVER, OVER, YOU KNOW, RETURNING APPLICANTS? THE APPLICANTS ARE STRICTLY EVALUATED BASED UPON THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE GRANT.
WHETHER THEY'RE NEW OR AN EXIST OR, YOU KNOW, RETURNING APPLICANT, IT'S BASED UPON THEIR GRANT.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE, THAT SCORING RE RIG AND THE, AND EVALUATION TOOLS FOR RIGHT.
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THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT THE GRANT REQUIRES.THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
AND DOES THAT MATCH UP? THANK YOU.
NUMBER ONE THING TWO IS THE STATE REQUIRES THAT THESE DOLLARS ARE SPENT ON THINGS THAT BRING TOURISM INTO THE AREA.
SO IS THAT, AND THAT'S ONE OF YOUR NUMBER ONE QUESTIONS WHEN YOU'RE EVALUATING, YOU KNOW, IS THIS, YOU KNOW, ARE YOU BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF UTILIZING THESE TAX DOLLARS, THESE A TAX DOLLARS FOR BRINGING TOURISM INTO THE, TO THE TOWN? IS THAT GENERALLY A QUESTION WE NEED TO ASK THE APPLICANTS OR DO THEY COME PREPARED TO SAY, HERE'S HOW WE THE NUMBERS.
YOU TOURISM METRICS, THAT'S WHAT THOSE TOURISM METRICS ARE.
THEY GIVE YOU A NUMBER OF HOW MANY PEOPLE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BRINGING IN BASED UPON WHATEVER TOOL THAT THEY'RE USING OR TOOLS.
AND SO THAT'S PART OF SOMETIMES THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULD ASK.
IT'S LIKE, OH, WELL YOU GAVE US A NUMBER, BUT HOW DID YOU GET TO THAT NUMBER? GOOD.
MICHELLE, DID YOU WANNA COMMENT ON THE CATEGORIES IN THAT SCORING SHEET? DO YOU HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF YOU OR NO, I HAVE IT.
SO WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO, WELL, JUST FOR EXAMPLE, ALIGNMENT WITH THE TOWN STRATEGIC PLAN.
IF YOU JUST WANNA COVER THE, WHAT THOSE CATEGORIES ARE.
AND THESE, THESE ARE ONLINE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL COMMITTEE MEMBER MM-HMM
AND THE ONLY ONE WHO SEES IT IS YOU MM-HMM
SO IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE IT, YOU CAN USE IT ONLINE TO HELP FRAME YOUR THOUGHTS.
BUT IT'S NOT SIMPLE HEADS IN BEDS IS IS THE TERM WE OFTEN HEAR.
AND, AND OBVIOUSLY BRINGING TOURISM HERE RELATES TO GROWING THE AT TAX DOLLAR BASE, WHICH THEN PROVIDES THE GRANT MONEY.
SO IT IS CRITICAL, BUT IT'S NOT THE ONLY MEASURE.
IT'S, IT'S A CRITICAL MEASURE BUT NOT THE ONLY ONE.
SO I DUNNO IF YOU WANNA JUST COVER THESE FIVE, CORRECT.
JUST THE CATEGORIES FOR THE GROUP.
SO IN THE FOR ONE SHEET THAT YOU'LL GET THE VALUATION SHEET, IT, WHEN YOU'RE REVIEWING THE APPLICATION, IT SAYS TO FOCUS ON FIVE CRITERIA ALIGNMENT WITH THE TOWN'S STRATEGIC PLAN PRIORITIES.
AND WE REALIZE THAT NOT EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE EXACTLY WORD FOR WORD LINING UP WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
BUT IN ALL ESSENCE, THAT GOES BACK TO THE QUESTION IS THIS UTILIZING AT TAX DOLLARS TO BRING TOURISM INTO THE AREA? AND THAT IS PART OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, OBVIOUSLY.
UM, COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC IMPACT, OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO KNOW HOW THEY ARE IMPACTING THE COMMUNITY.
ARE THEY BRINGING IN MORE TOURISTS? ARE THEY, IS THIS A NEW EVENT? IS THIS BRINGING IN A NEW TYPE, YOU KNOW, A NEW CATEGORY OF TOUR? THERE'S ALL KINDS OF QUESTIONS YOU COULD GO WITH THAT.
GROWTH POTENTIAL AND TOURISM EXPANSION.
HAS THIS EVENT GROWN? UM, HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN RUNNING? THERE'S LOTS OF GREAT QUESTIONS THERE.
APPLICATION QUALITY AND CLARITY THAT WILL GO BACK TO THOSE DOCUMENTS WE PROVIDE YOU.
DID THEY PROVIDE ALL THEIR DOCUMENTATION? HOW DID THEY PROVIDE THEIR METRICS? YOU KNOW, WAS IT, YOU KNOW, WERE THERE SOME QUESTIONS ON HOW THEY PROVIDED THOSE METRIC METRICS? LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY? UM, 'CAUSE THEY DO HAVE TO, IF IT'S AN EXISTING APP OR A RETURNING APPLICANT THAT HAS USED A TAX DOLLARS BEFORE, THEN WE DO ASK HOW THEY HAVE USED THEM AND HOW THEY, YOU KNOW, MAY LOOK TO USE THEM IN THE FUTURE.
SO THAT INFORMATION CAN BE PROVIDED TO YOU.
IF IT'S A NEW AT TAX APPLICANT, OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE NOT GONNA HAVE SOME OF THAT, BUT THEY CAN LET YOU KNOW HOW THEY PLAN TO USE THE NEW ATEX DOLLARS.
SO IT'S JUST KIND OF UTILIZING THAT CRITERIA AS A GUIDELINE AND APPLYING IT TO EACH APPLICANT AS IT FITS.
CAN I ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, MOVEMENT TOWARDS, UH, UH, INDEPENDENCE FROM THE GRANTS AS BEING A PRIORITY.
WHERE DOES THAT IDEA COME FROM? IT'S NOT NECESSARILY AN IDEA, IT'S JUST, IT'S A STANDARD QUESTION.
EVEN IN THE GRANT WORLD, IT'S LIKE ANYTHING IN LIFE, IT'S LIKE, HOW DO YOU PLAN TO SUSTAIN THIS EVENT IN THE FUTURE? ARE YOU GONNA ALWAYS RELY ON A GRANT? BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, LIKE JUST I CAN SPEAK AS THE GRANTS ADMINISTRATOR FOR TOWN, NOTHING IS ALWAYS GUARANTEED IN THE GRANT WORLD.
AND ESPECIALLY IN SOME OF THE TIMES THAT WE'VE BEEN KIND OF IN LATELY, EVEN WHEN WE GET GRANTS, SOMETIMES THE FEDERAL AND STATE GRANT, THE FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT CAN TAKE MONEY BACK AT ANY TIME.
SO WE WANNA KNOW HOW DO YOU PLAN ON BEING ABLE TO SUSTAIN YOURSELF OR MAYBE SUPPORT YOURSELF IN THE EVENT THAT THAT THAT MONEY MAY NOT BE THERE.
OBVIOUSLY WE TALKED ABOUT MONIES KIND OF COMING DOWN FROM COVID TOO, IS WE MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT TO PROVIDE.
SO, SO THE QUESTION ON THE APPLICATION THAT THERE'S A QUESTION ON THE APPLICATION THAT APPLIES TO THAT.
WHAT WILL YOU DO IF YOU DON'T RECEIVE FULL FUNDING AND CORRECT.
AND, UM, I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO QUESTION THIS BECAUSE, UH, I'VE SEEN SOME MEMBERS OF TOWN COUNCIL COMMENT THAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THE, THE, I MEAN, IN GRANT WORLD, AND YOU KNOW, THIS, UH, HAVING A GRANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN, UH, IS IMPORTANT AND YOU DON'T WANNA HAVE TO BE SEARCHING FOR GRANTS IN DIFFERENT PLACES EVERY YEAR.
YOU CAN'T RUN A NONPROFIT THAT WAY.
SO HAVING A GRANT RELATIONSHIP AND BEING ABLE TO COME BACK YEAR AFTER YEAR AND SAY WE'RE APPLYING AGAIN.
IS, IS NOT ONLY A COMMON PRACTICE, IT'S BEST PRACTICE.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE TIMES THAT IF IN THE GRANT WORLD, IF YOU RUN INTO, YOU KNOW, A GRANT THAT SAYS, WELL WE FEEL LIKE THIS IS KIND OF THE SAME POTENTIAL PROJECT AND WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY PROGRESS WITH IT, THEY CAN GIVE YOU LESS MONEY OR THEY CAN DECIDE NOT TO GIVE YOU MONEY THAT THAT DOES HAPPEN.
UM, SO IT IS UP TO YOU AS THE APPLICANT, SAME HERE WITH ME,
[00:25:01]
TO, TO SHOW AND TELL THAT STORY OF HOW YOU ARE EFFECTIVELY USING THOSE DOLLARS AND IT IS GONNA BE INCREASING.JUST SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, TOURISM TO THE, TO THE ISLAND OR WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, IT'S UP TO THE APPLICANT TO, TO DO THAT.
BUT, BUT APPLYING FOR GRANT THE SAME GRANTS YEAR OVER YEAR IS COMMON.
YOU'VE ACTUALLY HAD APPLICANTS THOUGH, WHO TOLD US THAT ONCE THEY GET TO A CERTAIN SCALE, THEY FELT THAT THROUGH THE MARKETING SUPPORT FROM THEIR GRANT, THEY WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GROW THEIR EVENT ENOUGH SUCH THAT TICKETS AND WHATNOT WERE GOING TO MEAN THEY DIDN'T NEED TO APPLY FOR A GRANT AND THEY DROPPED OUT.
SO IT CAN HAPPEN, BUT, WHICH IS A GREAT SUCCESS STORY.
BUT, BUT THOSE THAT ARE RELIANT ON THIS FOR A PORTION, THEY'RE BRINGING A LOT OF TOURISTS AND THEY DO A LOT OF GOOD FOR THE ISLAND, SO MM-HMM
THERE'S NO BIAS TO ME ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
IT'S JUST ANOTHER PIECE OF INFORMATION.
AND SOMETIMES IT'S A NICE WAY WHEN YOU'RE AS AN APPLICANT REVIEWING AND SAY, OKAY, AM I STILL UTILIZING THOSE DOLLARS EFFECTIVELY FOR MY ORGANIZATION? WE SEEM TO ACCOMPLISHED THIS GOAL, SO MAYBE WE NEED TO FOCUS THOSE GRAND DOLLARS ON SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO TO ACTUALLY BOOST OUR EVENT OR PROJECT MORE.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOOK AT IT.
WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE LAST YEAR BETWEEN THE TOTAL GRANTS THAT WERE APPROVED AND WHAT WAS ACTUALLY REIMBURSED? I I ACTUALLY DO NOT HAVE THAT NUMBER IN ME.
I CAN GET THAT NUMBER FOR YOU, BUT I DON'T HAVE IT.
YEAH, I'D BE, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE IN, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENCE.
I'D, I'D BE INTERESTED IN SEEING THAT ON THAT, UH, ON THAT SPREADSHEET.
FOR THE ORGANIZATIONS TOO, BECAUSE SOME ORGANIZATIONS WE APPROVED FOR A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, THEY SPEND 80,000.
THAT'S DEFINITELY WORTH IT FOR US TO KNOW THAT.
AND WE'LL HAVE THAT AT THE TIME FOR YOUR HEARINGS FOR YOU.
WE CAN DO IT BY APPLICANT SO THAT YOU HAVE IT.
AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, WHEN WE SENT YOU THE EMAIL, THE EVALUATION, WE'LL LET YOU, YOU KNOW, MICHELLE, THE FIVE POINTS ABOUT ALIGNING WITH THE TOWN'S INITIATIVE.
IF YOU DON'T DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU HAVE A IMPACT ON AT TAX DOLLAR GENERATION, YOU NEED NOT APPLY.
SO THE, THAT IS A PRECURSOR TO THE OTHER COURT.
YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THAT TOURISM IMPACT NUMBER ONE.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S STATE LAW.
IF YOU GUYS, IF YOU GUYS NEED ANY REFERENCE TO, TO THE STATE LAW, THAT'S, WE CAN SEND THAT BACK OUT TO YOU TOO IF YOU NEED THAT AGAIN, ESPECIALLY NEW MEMBERS.
IF YOU EVER NEED THAT FOR SURE.
UM, BUT WE'LL SEND YOU THAT NEXT EMAIL WITH THE EVALUATION INFORMATION AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, LET US KNOW.
BUT IT IS JUST A TOOL FOR YOU TO USE JUST TO HOPEFULLY, IF THAT HELPS.
AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK IF YOU GO THROUGH IT AND SAY, THIS SEEMS TO NOT REALLY WORK IN THIS INSTANCE.
OR MAYBE IF WE ASK THIS NEXT QUESTION OR, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR BACK FROM YOU.
'CAUSE WE DO FEEL LIKE THIS IS A, A NICE WORK IN PROGRESS AND WE'D LIKE TO SEE THIS GET BETTER FOR YOU AS THE COMMITTEE, YOU KNOW, TO HELP YOU THROUGH ALL THESE APPLICATIONS.
YEAH, I I THINK DEFINITELY THE, THE PRIOR YEAR REIMBURSEMENTS WOULD HELP A LOT BECAUSE SURE.
THAT INFORMATION WE HAVEN'T ALWAYS HAD SEEN LAID OUT FOR US.
WE HAVE TO SEARCH FOR BY CANDIDATE.
NO, YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WAS THERE ANYONE WHO HAS TO SPEAK IN PUBLIC COMMENT? MICHELLE? I WILL LOOK.
I DON'T BELIEVE SO, BUT LET ME LOOK AGAIN.
AND IF THERE'S ANYBODY SIGNED UP I'M AWARE OF, WE CAN ASK THE GENERAL AUDIENCE.
ANYONE IN ATTENDANCE WISH TO COMMENT? THANK YOU.
ANY OTHER NON AGENDA ITEMS? ANYONE ON THE COMMITTEE WOULD LIKE TO RAISE? OUR FINAL ACTION THEN WOULD BE ADJOURNMENT.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION? MOTION TO ADJOURN? SECOND.
ALL IN FAVOR? WE ARE ADJOURNED.