The Colusa City Council is expected to discuss policies and procedures at their next meeting to deal with city-sponsored events and potential conflicts that may arise from soliciting money from companies that have matters before the Planning Commission and City Council.
Colusa Economic Development Director Kristy Levings claims the city collected or has been promised some $90,000 from developers, future developers, and cannabis companies to establish Colusa as a tourist destination spot for major music festivals.
Concerned community members, along with Councilman Greg Ponciano, started asking questions last summer when city staff spent more than $100,000 to host a series of events, including the ticketed Country in Colusa Music Festival, with no formal approval or discussion by the City Council, nor any discussion about potential conflicts of interest in soliciting donations from companies with complicated matters before the city.
“Virtually every party that has donated to the city has a vested interest in actions that the council is going to take,” said Don Bransford, who has reminded the City Council multiple times that they need to get a handle on this issue.
Although some City Council members admitted they had knowledge that City Manager Jesse Cain and Levings had established some sort of “Tourism Fund,” the City Council has never actually established a “Tourism Fund,” according to elected City Treasurer Devin Kelly.
Instead, city staff deposited the money for the events into Levings’ general fund budget, which also funds her salary and department expenses.
The City Council has repeatedly asked for the events’ detailed profit and loss statements, which has still not been presented to the public in an open meeting.
Citizens said they believe city staff or council members who took part in the solicitation of money for city-sponsored events should recuse themselves on any planning decisions that appear on the agenda.
The largest amount of donations, about $60,000, came from (or has been promised to the city by Dec. 31) local cannabis companies who have solicited support from the City Council to rewrite their cannabis ordinance to allow for retail stores and cannabis microbusiness in the downtown. Other companies involved have possibly benefited from or are expected to request a reduction in developer impact fees.
“How do you separate that out,” Bransford asked. “You have to figure this out so there is no question as to conflicts.”
The City Council plans to discuss event policies, the city’s donation policy, and the city’s purchasing and procurement policies at the next City Council meeting. The City Council also agreed to continue their discussion on various grants.
Hill said the only reason the planned discussion on the events was postponed from Oct. 19 was the time needed to conduct a lengthy and continued public hearing on the CIP housing project.
The City Council meets at 6 PM on Nov. 2 ■