The Santa Barbara City Council unanimously appropriated nearly $11 million in federal pandemic relief funds Tuesday, with funds replenishing reserves and financing projects like the cleaning and repairing of parks heavily utilized during COVID-19.
In all, the council had $10,918,762 in American Rescue Plan Act funding slated to be released in May to appropriate. The council already approved the first portion of $10.9 million to general revenue in May 2021 to offset lost departmental revenue and tax.
The council appropriated about $1.047 million for the general fund and $1.48 million for the Downtown Parking Fund during its weekly meeting Tuesday.
The council increased the amount of money allocated for the homeless and mental health response services and added $100,000 for Eastside community gardens. It allotted $350,000 for cleaning and enhancements to State Street.
Among other projects, $300,000 was earmarked for digital library materials, $750,000 for turf and irrigation in parks that saw high use during the pandemic, $400,000 for renovations to the landmark Plaza del Mar Band Shell and $125,000 for a replacement of the Oak Park dance floor.
Additionally Tuesday, the council heard an update on the Santa Barbara Cruise Ship Program, which has been paused during the pandemic.
The last ship that visited Santa Barbara was on March 4, 2020, before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a no sail order. But the CDC has since established a Conditional Sailing Order, which requires at least 95% of crew and passengers be fully vaccinated (defined as the non-booster shots) and testing mandates for non-vaccinated individuals before coming to shore.
There are 31 cruise ship calls for Santa Barbara on the schedule for 2022 and 27 for 2023, according to the presentation.
The city has budgeted $500,000 in revenue in cruise line passenger fees for the upcoming fiscal year. (The waterfront charges $7 per passenger on a cruise ship’s manifest — even if the individual does not come to shore.)
Mayor Randy Rowse said he was looking forward to the program restarting as it will signal “another taste of return to some kind of normality.”
However, Councilmember Kristen Sneddon said she had concerns about the program — not because of the COVID protocols but the impacts the cruise industry has on the environment. Councilmember Sneddon said she would like the city to “grow an environmentally sustainable economy” and phase out cruise ship visits.
During the pandemic shutdown, “many” older ships were replaced by newer vessels that use alternative fuels or are hybrids, according to the presentation.
Cruise ship calls are limited to September through May, considered to be non-peak business seasons. Ships are anchored off the coast of Santa Barbara, and passengers are ferried to the city on tenders.
The majority of calls are from Princess Cruises and Holland America Line on “West Coast getaway” trips with stops on Catalina Island and in Los Angeles and San Diego, among other places. Most of the ships are small or medium-sized with capacities ranging between 200 to 3,500 passengers. email: kschallhorn@newspress.com
