Several Greater Fallbrook groups allocated TOT funding

The June 28 passage of the County of San Diego's 2016-17 budget included the allocation of Community Enhancement funds from the County of San Diego's Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue, and several Greater Fallbrook organizations will receive funding from the Community Enhancement program.

Each county supervisor had a $974,000 Community Enhancement budget along with whatever previous year funding was cancelled or returned (in the case of Supervisor Bill Horn's Fifth District, that additional amount was $2,335) and decided how much money would be given to each group requesting funds. The recommendations were then ratified by the entire San Diego County Board of Supervisors during the approval of the budget.

Although the revenue is derived only from TOT money collected from lodging facilities in the unincorporated portion of the county, organizations in incorporated cities are also eligible for funding. Each county supervisor also has a $2 million discretionary Neighborhood Reinvestment Program budget, so some Community Enhancement requests can be fulfilled by that source. Most organizations were awarded less than the amount they requested, and the money is not based on the previous year's allocation.

The Bonsall Chamber of Commerce will receive $20,500. The chamber's $32,500 request sought $15,000 for a festival which will be held on a local golf course and will feature local artisans, musicians, and food vendors, $10,000 to respond to and direct tourists, residents, and potential residents to community resources, political representatives, and new developments in the area, and $7,500 for printed business and tourist attraction directories. Last year the chamber received $17,500 of Community Enhancement funding.

The Fallbrook Art Association was given $12,000 of its $12,700 request. The plan was to spend $11,500 for gallery rental, publicity and printed matter expenses, and judges' fees for two annual shows at the Fallbrook Art Center, two shows at the Brandon Gallery, and a Plein Air show along with $1,200 to provide demonstrations at the monthly meetings which are open to the public. Last year's Community Enhancement process provided the Fallbrook Art Association with $10,000.

Fallbrook Center for the Arts, Inc., was given $30,000. The organization, which did not receive Community Enhancement funding last year, had requested $55,000. The expenditure plan stipulated $25,000 to pay for the electricity needed by the main gallery's light-emitting diode illumination specifically designed for art galleries, $15,000 for supplies for adult ceramics classes and the Junior Wildlife Art Show, and $15,000 for post cards, class brochures, stationery, media advertising, postage and other distribution costs, window displays, signs, and Website design and maintenance.

The Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce was allocated $125,000, an increase from the $100,000 figure for 2015-16 although less than the $150,000 the chamber requested. The chamber desired $60,000 for the Avocado Festival, $35,000 for business seminars, education, and community resources, $20,000 for the visitor center, $19,000 for the community's December holiday events, and $16,000 for a tourist destination branding program.

The $8,000 awarded to the Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society will be used for upgrades and repairs to the building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. The society, which received $5,000 of 2015-16 Community Enhancement funds, had requested $10,000 during this year's process.

The Fallbrook Historical Society was given $5,000 to help with a series of programs on Fallbrook and North County history. The historical society had sought $10,000 from the Community Enhancement program. Last year the group received $3,000.

The $9,500 given to the Fallbrook Land Conservancy Foundation matches the requested amount. The foundation will use $3,500 for the Stage Coach Sunday event, $2,000 to maintain and enhance the Monserate Mountain trail system, $2,000 to purchase plants and trees to be planted in and around Downtown Fallbrook, and $2,000 to purchase native plants and trees for a one-acre garden which will provide examples of native and drought-tolerant landscaping. The Fallbrook Land Conservancy Foundation received $5,000 from last year's allocations.

This year the Fallbrook Music Society will receive $10,000 and may use that money for the free concerts the society provides at local venues or for a "Salute to Our Heroes" outdoor concert at Ingold Sports Park featuring the Marine Corps Band and honoring active-duty and retired military personnel and their families. The society, which was given $9,000 last year, had sought $25,000 of 2016-17 funding.

The Fallbrook Village Association was awarded $24,000 of the $25,000 it had requested and will use the money for the Fallbrook Summer Nights events. Last year the organization did not receive any of its $27,500 TOT request but was provided with $10,000 of Neighborhood Reinvestment Program funding on the same day the supervisors approved the budget and the Community Enhancement allocations.

The $10,000 awarded to Friends of the Fallbrook Community Center doubles last year's grant of $5,000 and will be used for the annual tree lighting ceremony which also includes family activities and youth talent displays. The group had asked for $18,000 of TOT revenue.

The Live Oak Park Coalition will receive the same $12,500 allocation it was given last year. The coalition had requested $29,650 which would have provided $16,500 to maintain 14 miles of the Santa Margarita trail system, $10,000 to help fund nine new exercise stations meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and $3,150 for maintenance of the off-leash dog park.

The Pauma Valley Community Association will be given the entirety of its $8,512 request and will spend $3,500 for fencing at the end of the soccer field along State Route 76, $2,762 for quality plastic tables and a storage carry, and $2,250 for four picnic tables near the soccer field. Last year the association received a $18,955 Community Enhancement grant.

Riding Emphasizing Individual Needs and Strengths (REINS) was given $15,000 after requesting $40,500. The therapeutic horseback riding organization sought $15,000 for the REINS Country Hoedown, $10,000 to subsidize the salary of the volunteer coordinator, $10,000 for expenses of the REINS of Life golf tournament, $3,500 for the Spring Hop egg hunt and spring celebration, and $2,000 for the organization's educational event during the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club summer meet. Last year REINS received $10,000.

Horn and his colleagues allocated $3,637 for the Support The Enlisted Project (STEP), which did not receive 2015-16 funding and requested $21,634 for 2016-17 which would have provided $13,560 for an emergency financial assistance program, $4,624 for community outreach events, and $3,450 for a new community outreach event which would allow community partners to collaborate with STEP.

Vets Caring for Vets was given $5,000. The group did not receive funding last year and had sought $51,240. The plan for the full requested amount was to spend $25,000 on a program to reach out to veterans and spouses in need of employment or care, $20,000 for in-home care and assistance for veterans who do not qualify or are not yet receiving veterans' benefits, and $6,240 for in-house training of veteran and spouse caregiving staff.