Boosting business gets high priority

CORONADO — The City Council plans to hire a consultant to study the possibility of taxing businesses to promote tourism. The consultant will be asked to possibly create a business improvement district or other funding mechanism to help struggling businesses. Business improvement districts are public-private partnerships that allow participating businesses to establish a special assessment for improvements and business promotion. At a meeting Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to allow the city manager to negotiate an agreement with one of five consulting companies that have submitted proposals. Council members wanted to act quickly because they won’t meet again until Sept. 1. In May, Coronado Chamber of Commerce officials requested $350,000 in city funding for a marketing program to help target summer daytrippers, travelers already in San Diego County. In June, the City Council decided against the funding but agreed to spend $30,000 to hire a consultant. It also agreed to create a five-member committee – with one person each from the chamber, MainStreet Ltd. and the Visitor Center, and two business owners – to help in the effort. Dave Landon, the chamber’s chairman, said members fully support the creation of a business improvement district if it helps ailing businesses. “The summer has been hard, but the fall looks pretty dismal,” Landon said. “I don’t think Coronado is unique in that, but we depend so much on the tourist business. Hotels here are off somewhere around 12 percent. In San Diego, I’ve heard it’s down about 30 percent.” Leslie Suelter, the city’s director of administrative services, said the committee and city staff have developed a consensus and plan to look at three of the five consultants more closely. They hope to select one by early September. She said the consultant will “crystallize the issues that the business community is trying to address” and work with community focus groups. Read the entire Union Tribune article here.