Grants for Charities, Tourism Survey OK'd

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Category: News

Created on Wednesday, 11 September 2024 15:36

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By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly distributed $45,000 from the city’s general fund Tuesday night to 14 of the 18 organizations that applied for this year’s round of awards to nonprofits.
    Grants were awarded in the categories of human services, culture and education, and community development.
    In other business at its regular meeting the Assembly approved an “end of the season survey” on the 2024 visitor season, with the city administrator to issue a “Request for Information” as a step toward hiring an outside consultant to collect more data about visitors.
    The need for more information about the impact of the cruise industry was one of the recommendations made by the Sitka Tourism Task Force. JJ Carlson, who along with Chris Ystad co-sponsored the agenda item, said the state formerly had an in-depth visitor study but it’s been eight years since the last one.
    “There’s value there if we want to move toward a good decision,” Carlson said. “A lot has changed in the last eight years since the state survey. For us to make good policy and financial decisions we need information from today.”
    Ystad said this relates to the first tourism task force directive of making a recommendation on ideal cruise ship numbers for the community.
    “The task force’s first objective was figuring out numbers, right sizing, and they didn’t feel as though they could do all that much without more data,” he said. “And that’s what we’re trying to get at, finding more data, more community input ...”
    Also at the meeting, the Assembly approved post-Thanksgiving sales tax “holidays,” as it has done in recent years. The loss in sales tax revenue from making Nov. 29 and 30 tax free days is estimated at $37.000. The exemption does not apply to sales of fuel, tobacco, marijuana and alcohol.
The Assembly also passed on first reading a $5,000 appropriation for signs at the drop-off recycling center; $10,300 for two EV chargers for city electric vehicles; and $60,000 to buy new roll-off recycling containers. The appropriations ordinance will be up for final reading September 24.
Nonprofit Grants
Organizations receiving funds were:
    Human Services ($25,000 available):
    Brave Heart Volunteers $9,921 ($10,000 requested), Sitka Counseling $3,764 ($10,987 requested); Sitka Homeless Coalition $5,407 ($25,000); SAIL $4,493 ($24,000), United Methodist Church $1,129 ($1,600).
    Cultural and Educational ($10,000 available):
    Alaska Arts Southeast/Sitka Fine Arts Camp $2,622 ($10,000 requested), Outer Coast $1,061 ($10,000), Sitka Conservation Society $1,847 ($10,000), Sitka Maritime Heritage Society $2,837 ($3,000), Sitka Music Festival $1,490 ($10,000).
    Community Development ($10,000 available):
    Alaska Heat Smart $2,143 ($9,322.50 requested); Friends of the Sitka Animal Shelter $2,357 ($5,000); Greater Sitka Arts Council $1,429 ($5,000); Sitka Trail Works $4,071 ($10,000).
    Before the meeting, Assembly members filled out a spreadsheet on their choices, which were projected on screens. Organizations not receiving support from at least four Assembly members were removed from consideration. The Assembly averaged the Assembly choices and approved the list 7-0.
    Representatives of some of the organizations attended to watch the process, but no testimony was given. Organizations filled out lengthy applications for the grants, explaining how the funds would be used, outcomes, and who will benefit. For example, United Methodist Church asked for funds to support its lunch program for those in need of a meal; Sitka Conservation Society asked for help supporting its Sheet’ká Splash Mountain Camp for youths grades 6-12. Some of the requests were for basic operations.
    The Assembly allocates $50,000 a year in the general fund budget for this purpose but keeps $5,000 available for emergencies. Most years, the Assembly receives six to eight requests, and this year’s 18 is the highest in the last five years.
Visitor Study Discussion
The Assembly agreed to have an End of Season Community Survey conducted for the 2024 tourism season. The survey will be conducted in October and results are to be available by December.
The Assembly also generally agreed to pursue survey work by an independent research firm, starting with sending out a request for information to find out what services are offered, and what data can be collected. The end of the season survey is conducted by the city.
There was some question about how the city or the new Tourism Commission would use the information by a consultant, but Tim Pike said the task force feedback was that the group was hamstrung by not having more unbiased information. The task force reviewed surveys put out by the city, and hosted open house events, but commented that this information was not sufficient.
“We would want solid data,” Pike said. “Without a third party coming in and giving us everything – both the good and the bad, and digging deep, doing all the things we would pay a third party to do – are we going put a lot of effort into data that in the end we’re not going to be able to use effectively, or that people in the community are not going to see as either unbiased or accurate? That’s my concern. I would encourage us to hurry up and find a third-party administrator that will do surveys and gather the data for us so we have data we can move forward with.”
The Assembly discussed covering the cost of studies with a mix of funds collected from visitors on cruise ships and the bed tax, instead of the general fund.
Other recommendations from Ystad and Carlson related to working with organizations on an environmental assessment visitor impacts; encouraging the Legislature to fund the Alaska Visitor Statistics program again; and asking the Alaska Port Communities Group to add data collection to its duties.

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