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Home My WebLink AboutCC 2026-04-14_09d_Supplemental 1 MEMORANDUM TO: City Council FROM: Jessica Matson, Director of Legislative & Information Services/ City Clerk SUBJECT: Supplemental Information Agenda Item 9.d – April 14, 2026 City Council Meeting Tourism Business Improvement District Annual Assessment Report, Preliminary FY 2026-27 Budget and Resolution of Intention to Levy DATE: April 13, 2026 Attached is correspondence received for the above referenced Item. Cc: City Manager Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Director of Recreation Services City Attorney City Clerk City Website and Public Review Binder Enc From:Jared Worthen To:public comment; Sheridan Bohlken; Matt Downing Subject:Item 9(d). | FY 2026-27 TBID Budget – Investing in What Lasts Date:Saturday, April 11, 2026 1:58:53 PM Dear Mayor Ray Russom and City Council Members, I'm writing regarding Item 9.d. as a resident, a former TBID member, and someone who genuinely believes Arroyo Grande's best days as a destination are still ahead of us. I support continuing the district and appreciate the work of the Advisory Board. I'd like to offer a perspective on how we could use this moment to think bigger. The Opportunity In Front of Us: The TBID fund balance has drawn down from $438,000 to a projected $37,000. Much of that reflects years of operating under a narrower mandate before infrastructure spending was authorized. That context matters. But it also means we're approaching near-zero reserves at the exact moment we finally have the tools to build something lasting. How we spend what remains could shape the Village for a long time. Marketing services remain the largest line item at $222,500. I'd encourage the Council to ask: What measurable outcomes is that spend producing, and how do they compare to the permanent assets we could build with a meaningful reallocation? The Case for Infrastructure: Research clearly shows that physical placemaking investments deliver outsized returns compared to marketing spend: Main Street America data shows that every $1 invested in downtown physical improvements generates an average of $21.73 in new private investment and reinvestment. The Urban Land Institute has documented that public art and placemaking investments increase adjacent property values and retail sales across multiple cities. Project for Public Spaces research estimates that well-designed public spaces can increase retail sales in surrounding businesses by 20-40% through increased visitor dwell time. Regional examples support this too. Paso Robles' downtown plaza investments preceded measurable hotel occupancy and sales tax growth and the plaza is now the anchor of their event calendar. Solvang's pedestrian lighting is consistently cited by visitors as a primary reason the town feels alive at night. A social media campaign has a lifespan measured in days. String lights over Branch Street work every single night for twenty years. Two Strategies Worth Exploring: I'd ask the Council to challenge the TBID Advisory Board to bring back a bold infrastructure vision. Two directions worth considering: Strategy A: The Big Swing — A Village Sound System A downtown sound system with PA capability activates every event, every weekend, every evening stroll — passively, without ongoing spend. A system with emergency broadcast capability may also qualify for co-funding through Cal OES, FEMA Hazard Mitigation, or NEA Our Town grants, making TBID dollars go further. Strategy B: A Portfolio of Small Bets A cluster of lower-cost, high-visibility improvements that collectively transform the Village's atmosphere: String lights over Branch Street and Olohan Alley Olohan Alley activation: installing lighting, benches, and pavers to make it a destination, not just a cut-through Public art installations—murals, sculpture, or rotating pieces—give visitors a reason to seek out the Village specifically Wayfinding signage — directing visitors from parking into the Village core Decorative crosswalks A gateway feature at Village entry points that tells visitors they've arrived somewhere worth being These can be phased, grant-stacked, and deliver visible results quickly. Any one of them will be photographed and shared organically in ways no paid campaign can match. A Direction Forward: I'm not asking the Council to restructure the budget tonight. Instead, direct staff and the TBID Advisory Board to come back with a specific infrastructure project ready to move. Not a study. Not a subcommittee. A real proposal with a real number. The sound system, the lights, the alley activation — pick one and let's get it done. The mechanisms exist to act. The fund balance, while diminished, is still there. What's been missing is a mandate to use it boldly. I'd encourage the Council to give that direction tonight. Arroyo Grande's Village has something that can't be manufactured: authentic character, a walkable core, and a community that genuinely loves where it lives. Let's invest boldly in it. Thank you for your time and your service to our community. Jared Worthen AG Resident & Former TBID Board Member.