Sequim city councilors opted to retain Rainy Day funds earlier this month after no businesses applied for funds from the COVID-19 Small Business Rent Relief Grant program.
They voted 6-1 on May 9 to keep $100,000 in the emergency fund after opening applications on March 30 to help brick and mortar businesses behind at least two months of rent because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Councilor William Armacost voted against the motion because he was concerned that there are businesses still struggling to stay afloat and they took out loans and/or drained personal savings.
City attorney Kristina Nelson-Gross said it’s unfortunate that some businesses are struggling, but that it is illegal for the council to agree to put money in businesses’ bank accounts in this manner rather than through a specific, vetted process.
Sue Hagener, the city’s administrative services director, said the Rainy Day Fund’s purpose was to help the city in an emergency, such as a natural disaster, and help it operate without regular revenue coming into the city.
City manager Matt Huish said Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce staff, who hosted applications for the Relief Grant program, only received two inquiries and no applications, as the business owners said they did not qualify.
He said city staff spent a few months prior seeking advice from businesses and agencies on how best to support local businesses with funding and couldn’t find a consensus.
Huish said funds could potentially help businesses in a lot of different ways, such as through facade improvements, signage, landscaping and more.
The city council originally sought to help businesses with rent last year and voted on Feb. 28 to allocate up to $100,000 from the Rainy Day Fund. In the past two years, the council has allocated $500,000 through its Small Business Rapid Relief program.
Councilor Lowell Rathbun said he’s convinced COVID-19 will impact the community again and that the funds should stay there in case they’re needed.
Mayor Tom Ferrell agreed and said he didn’t want anyone to think of the fund as a slush fund.
Sequim scooters
City staff are gathering information for councilors to consider contracts for offering electric scooters through the city.
Bird scooters representatives reached out to the city unprompted leading staff to ask councilors if they should seek more information, Huish said on April 25.
To use one of their electric scooters in a city, users would log in via their cell phone, pay and ride, he said.
A majority of city councilors said they were at minimum interested in seeking more information about the scooters.
Councilor Rachel Anderson said she wanted comparisons with competitors, too.
“My concern is about the demographic of who would use it,” she said. “I’d picture tourists (only) using it.”
Armacost said that scooters in resort settings seem effective, get people outside and that local seniors are active and may be interested. However, councilors did express concern for liability.
Nelson-Gross said they’re in preliminary investigation of the scooters and staff haven’t looked at the company’s memorandum of understanding.
Huish said cities typically don’t change city codes for the scooters immediately and give it a trial basis, gather data and then move forward with policy changes if they proceed.
Sequim Police chief Sheri Crain said the city’s code only covers electric bicycles, not electric scooters.
Ferrell said while living in San Diego he’d see people use them on Friday night and they’d be everywhere the next morning.
“If I wanted to ride a scooter like that, I can buy it,” he said.
Councilor Kathy Downer said she opposes them and envisions children gauging how fast they can register on the city’s speed check signs.
At the May 9 city council meeting she said they’re a safety hazard and when users’ time is up they just leave them all over the city.
Huish said in a previous city he worked in, the company who offered scooters offered an incentive if users took a picture of where it was left.
No decision or timeline was made regarding the scooters.
