At a meeting Wednesday, the board recommended that $30 million from that sales tax go to a matching fund with the state to fund an event center downtown. Earlier this week, on Monday, City Council voted to place a 3% hotel guest tax increase on the ballot in November to generate funds for the same project.
The Advisory Board also recommended up to $10 million go to parks projects and up to $5 million to go to neighborhood projects — both to be determined later — with $15 million staying in reserve.
The board has released a submission form for project ideas, which Board Chair Erin Danastasio made clear in a press release Wednesday is just one of many sources of ideas.
"We want residents to know we’re listening, and this is one way to share your vision," Danastasio said in the release. But we’re also fortunate to have a wealth of resident input already at our fingertips — from years of scientifically valid citizen surveys, public meetings, and outreach efforts conducted by City staff. Combined with the criteria outlined in the ordinance creating this board, these tools help us evaluate ideas against a solid foundation of community priorities."
The next meeting of the citizen's advisory board is scheduled for August 27.