We sign this petition today as members of the St. Helena business community at large. We believe that St. Helena is at a crossroads and that investing in our tourist based
economy will net the largest return to the City.

The Transient Occupancy Tax is the easiest and quickest source of income to increase, and it provides the highest net return (100%) to the city. The City is able to immediately
apply it to the bottom line. Increasing TOT on its own, however, does not happen on its own nor maximize the return. We need marketing to attract guests to St. Helena's hotels, restaurants, wineries and stores. Therefore, we support the destination marketing and economic development efforts of the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce and their "rising tide lifts all boats" philosophy.

As business people we are keenly aware of the necessity to balance a budget, but you can't reduce your way to success. Revenue must be generated and sustained. Building St. Helena back up to being competitive in the Napa Valley tourist destination market requires marketing dollars. We strongly encourage the City Council to fund the Chamber's contract as a part of
a prudent strategy toward making St. Helena sustainable.