Eleven local groups receive TOT funding

Eleven Greater Fallbrook organizations received Community Enhancement funding for

2012-13.

The eleven organizations received a total of $131,780 in funding derived from the county’s Transient Occupancy Tax. The Community Enhancement allocations were part of the County of San Diego’s 2012-13 budget approved June 26 by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

Each county supervisor has a $500,000 Community Enhancement budget and made recommendations on how much of his or her budget would be given to each group requesting funds. The recommendations were then ratified by the entire 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.

A total of 285 groups throughout San Diego County had submitted requests totaling $8,404,974. Most organizations received less than the amount they requested, and the money is not based on the previous year’s allocation. Each county supervisor also has a $1 million discretionary Neighborhood Reinvestment Program budget, so some Community Enhancement requests can be fulfilled by that source.

The one Fallbrook organization which applied for Community Enhancement funding and did not receive any TOT revenue was the Live Oak Park Coalition, whose $21,000 request to purchase and install a shade structure for the children’s playground equipment could also be fulfilled through Park Land Dedication Ordinance fees paid by developers to fund park facilities in the development’s community.

The Bonsall Chamber of Commerce, which received $4,000 last year, will receive $8,000 of the $18,600 it sought for 2012-13. The money will be used for office operations including salary, supplies, advertising, printing, postage, and office rent.

The Camp Pendleton Historical Society has been working on the restoration of the Las Flores Adobe National Historic Landmark since 2006. The historical society asked for $10,000 to help continue the restoration of the building to its condition in 1942 when the U.S. Department of Defense acquired the property. The society received $3,000, which matches the 2011-12 allocation.

The Fallbrook Art Association received $10,000, exceeding the $5,000 it obtained last year but not the full $14,200 request for 2012-13. The money will be used for a spring open juried show and a fall open judged show.

The Fallbrook Center for the Arts received $19,280 of its $100,000 request, matching its TOT revenue from last year. The funding will allow for postcards, brochures, stationery and flyers, media advertising, postage, distribution services, window displays, signage, and Website design and maintenance.

The Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce will have $60,000 which will allow for $50,000 to be spent on the Avocado Festival and $10,000 to fund the Christmas Parade. The chamber, which received $70,000 last year, applied for $150,000 of Community Enhancement funding.

Last year the Fallbrook Food Pantry requested $17,200 of TOT funding and received no money from that source but $15,000 of Neighborhood Reinvestment Program funding. This year’s $4,500 request to fund a computer system upgrade resulted in $4,000 for that purpose.

The Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society did not apply for 2011-12 funding. The society wanted $10,000 of 2012-13 Community Enhancement money for the preparation and painting of the building exterior including the removal and reinstallation of signs, the repair of stucco, pressure washing, masking, painting, and site cleanup. The county’s 2012-13 budget allocated $3,000 to the organization.

The Fallbrook Land Conservancy Foundation saw its TOT funding increased from $3,000 in 2011-12 to $8,000 for 2012-13, which was still less than its $9,610 request. The FLC will use the grant funding for Stage Coach Sunday, to build and expand trails on the Santa Margarita Open Space preserve, to enhance the Monserate Mountain Preserve trail system, and to replace and purchase tools to care for approximately 2,650 trees in Fallbrook’s village area.

The Fallbrook Music Society had hoped for $15,000 of TOT funding and received the same $8,000 the society received last year. The Community Enhancement revenue will help cover costs of the Aug. 9 Symphony Pops on the Green event.

Last year the Live Oak Questers received $2,500 for the restoration of the Pittinger House. This year the group requested $5,000 but once again received $2,500 to cover restoration expenses.

REINS (Riding Emphasizing Individual Needs and Strengths) received $6,000 in 2011-12 and will have another $6,000 during 2012-13 to subsidize the occupational and physical therapist program. REINS had applied for $141,520.

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