Beverly Hills : Visitors Bureau Funding

What began as routine approval of the city’s 1992-93 budget by the City Council on Tuesday turned into a vociferous and sometimes acrimonious debate over how much money the city should give the Beverly Hills Visitors & Convention Bureau to promote the city as a shopping and vacation destination.

Last year, the council approved $579,000 in funding, and the city’s staff had recommended that the same amount for the 1992-93 budget.

The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, which administers the bureau, had asked for nearly $870,000, including about $113,000 to build a visitor information kiosk.

The council approved funding at last year’s level, with an additional $50,000 to promote the city’s retail stores, for a total of $629,000.

Noting the effect of the recession on city sales tax revenues and occupancy rates in offices and storefronts, Councilman Maxwell Salter made an emotional plea for full funding of the chamber’s request.

“Southern California is on the abyss (economically),” Salter said. “I don’t want Beverly Hills to be on the abyss. You can’t pull back (on promotions) during recessionary times.”

City Manager Mark Scott said the council had time to look at ways to increase the bureau’s allocation or review how the bureau’s money is spent because “everything we’re adopting tonight is an interim budget.”

Although state law requires that cities adopt a balanced budget before July 1, the final budget will be adopted with refinements in about two weeks, Scott said.