Sonora Poised To Pay Chamber To Takeover Downtown Events
Sonora, CA — The Sonora City Council will vote on paying $50,000 to the Sonora Chamber of Commerce to provide event management and marketing services for its various downtown events.
It is included on the consent calendar portion of today’s council meeting, meaning it is a non-controversial item, and likely to be approved without any opposition.
The Sonora Chamber of Commerce already puts on downtown events like Second Saturday Art Night and Christmas Town.
The proposed one-year agreement stipulates that the Chamber put on a minimum of five events for the city, including the Spring sidewalk sale, the Christmas Parade, Christmas Town Sonora, Trick or Treat Street and a cultural celebration to be determined by a Downtown Event Committee.
The Chamber will also work to seek donations to build sustainable funding for city events.
The change comes after staffing has been reduced in the Community Development Department over the past decade, and longtime CDD Director Rachelle Kellogg will be retiring in December.
In addition, the council will vote to lease the Sonora Opera Hall to the Sonora Chamber for the next year, for $1. The Chamber will oversee the management of the facility, and the revenues for renting it out will be split, 50/50, between the city and the chamber.
Monday’s meeting starts at 5 pm at City Hall.
