SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Business Task Force, Ad Campaign OKd

The City Council has approved two pro-business programs, one to make city government more business friendly and another to encourage residents to shop locally.

The council last week set aside $33,500 for a citywide “Shop and Dine San Juan” promotional campaign and called for the formation of a nine-member business task force.

City officials plan to help advertise local businesses by coordinating special promotional events, which may offer special savings for local residents. The city also plans to create a variety of publications under the slogan, “Shop and Dine San Juan.”

For instance, city staff wants to use a portion of the promotional budget to develop a destination guide that would identify--for residents and outsiders--the city’s shopping, recreational and cultural attractions.

The staff also has proposed developing a business resource center at City Hall, where proprietors could get updated information on city demographics and regulations, as well as attend city-sponsored instructional workshops on topics such as writing a business plan.

The council decided last week to let the soon-to-be-established business task force decide exactly how the $33,500 in promotional funds should be spent.

The group’s goal is to identify ways the city can lure and retain businesses in hopes of increasing its sales tax base and decreasing commercial and office vacancies. Task force members will also identify steps the city can take to improve the business climate. Two possibilities are installation of park benches and widening of sidewalks in commercial areas.

The task force, the first of its kind since the city’s Economic Development Commission disbanded in 1991, will consist of two City Council members and seven representatives of the business community.

The two council members, Gil Jones and Carolyn Nash, will fill out the task force by choosing members from each of the following: a financial institution, Mission San Juan Capistrano, the Chamber of Commerce, a commercial brokerage or leasing firm, a retail shop, an industrial company and a restaurant.

The task force will meet in public twice a month and disband after a year.