On June 23, the San Luis Obispo City Council unanimously voted to approve the 2015-2017 financial plan, adopting a number of key business priorities advocated for by the SLO Chamber.
The Chamber’s advocacy work began in the fall of 2014 to ensure that a number of specific business and community priorities, including investing in downtown revitalization, paying down unfunded pension obligations and supporting increased housing options, among others, made the list of Major City Goals for the next two years.
Chamber volunteers, including more than 100 committee members and the Board of Directors, participated in numerous City Council meetings, workshops as well as a community forum in January, and met on a regular basis to help determine the top areas that the Chamber should focus our advocacy efforts on.
Key priorities the Chamber advocated for which are included in the 2015-2017 city budget are
- A commitment to continued focus on the implementation of the newly updated Housing Element in order to increase the diverse inventory of housing options.
- An additional $250,000 to the Infrastructure Investment Capital Fund that was created in the spring of 2015 with an initial payment of $60,000. The fund gives the City Council the ability to set funding aside for future infrastructure projects that have community wide benefit.
- An additional $1 million in onetime funds towards paying down the city’s pension obligations. This is in addition to the nearly $1.3 million the city allocated earlier this year.
- Allocating resources for the next two years towards updating its Downtown Concept Plan, including further studying options to expand Mission Plaza.
Other major goals that align with the Chamber’s economic vision in the 2015-17 budget include open space preservation, multi-modal transportation and housing. Other important objectives identified by the City Council include neighborhood wellness, Laguna Lake restoration, as well as Downtown and Mission Plaza enhancements. If funds are available, parks and recreation improvements can occur, as well as further implementing the city’s Climate Action Plan and addressing deferred maintenance on infrastructure.