A parade of people spoke up Tuesday night about the value of the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce, calling it the backbone of the community while pushing the Lompoc City Council to reconsider a funding cut.

The outcry came after the City Council made an eleventh-hour decision to reduce the funding provided to the Chamber of Commerce during a June 3 meeting for the fiscal year starting July 1. 

That prompted the Chamber of Commerce to announce its closure June 30 and the cancellation of this summer’s return of the popular Old Town Market.

More than five hours into the Tuesday night meeting, the council unanimously voted to approve the biennial budget, including the $108,000 allocation for the chamber — with conditions.

Before the vote, Guadalupe Zavala, newly appointed board chair for the chamber, advocated for “fairness, dialogue and transparency.”

“Abruptly pulling funding without communication sends the wrong message not just to our organization, but to the small-business owners, the students, military families and all the volunteers who see the chamber as a cornerstone for the community connection,” Zavala said.

“The chamber is more than an office. It’s a symbol of connection, a space for innovation and a partner in our future. Let us not let short-term decisions create long-term setbacks,” said Yasmin Dawson, a former Woman of the Year Award winner and a community activist.

Many speakers shared about how the Chamber of Commerce programs affected them. A Youth Leadership Lompoc Valley graduate called the program formative and inspiring. 

Lompoc High School Alumni Association leaders said the car cruise during the Old Town Market funds scholarships handed out annually.

The Lompoc Theatre Project would not exist without the Chamber of Commerce, an early supporter of efforts to renovate the historic building, according to LTP Executive Director Mark Herrier. 

“This town needs both of you to be strong and supportive for us to survive. So, hug it out, go to the table, and I hope you guys can work this out because we need you both desperately,” Herrier said. 

Council members also faced criticism.

Business owner Aaron Crocker criticized the council’s actions, especially slides that Councilman Steve Bridge showed during the June 3 meeting. 

“The slides he put up had misspellings and, frankly, it was embarrassing. For the chamber to not be involved in the discussion and the public not to know about it, it’s not a good look,” Crocker said.

“Never once have I approached the chamber with a request or concern and been told they could only give me 60 seconds of apathy while dressed for a luau before they would ignore me anyway,” one woman said. 

Several council members sported shirts with floral designs, continuing a tradition related to the upcoming Lompoc Valley Flower Festival, scheduled for June 26-29.

The standing-room-only crowd also wasn’t happy that Mayor Jim Mosby reduced the typical three-minute time limit while staff cut off the microphone and played music over the video recording.

“We’re gonna be here all night,” a council member could be heard muttering as the long line formed for public comment. 

Mosby initially said that “for those who want to speak about the chamber, I’m going to reduce the public comment down to one minute per speaker,” prompting boos from the crowd.

However, City Attorney Jeff Malawy said time reductions must apply for all commenters, no matter the topic. 

Despite the large crowd and recognition of the public’s interest in the item, neither the mayor nor council members suggested moving the last item on the agenda to an earlier slot.

When the budget topic arose, Mosby and Bridge spent more than an hour drilling into specific line items in the spending blueprint that forecasts $116.9 million in general fund revenues and $116.3 million in general fund expenditures for the next two years.

For instance, Mosby suggested scrapping a plan to buy two Tesla sedans for the city’s fleet and look for less expensive vehicles from local dealers to save money.

The last-minute review came despite the council holding multiple special meetings focused on the budget, along with taking up the topic during regular meetings.

At one point, Bridge suggested that staff had padded some spending proposals.

“Sometimes it can appear that this budget has been developed without concern of how bad we are this year and where can we save,” Bridge said, referring to some items as “an obvious pad.”

Shortly before 11:30 p.m., the council voted unanimously to designate $108,000 for the chamber, but they called for the two sides to negotiate a different contract with new conditions, and said the funding would go to the Lompoc Mural Society if an agreement with the chamber isn’t reached.

“I think the audit is a way for this community, this city and the chamber to rebuild some trust over time, but I’m just hopeful that we can stretch ourselves so the chamber can catch up, figure it out and remain solvent,” Councilman Jeremy Ball said.

While the council’s late-night approval of the budget included funding for the Chamber of Commerce, it wasn’t clear whether it would save the organization or allow the Old Town Market to move forward as planned this summer.

The Old Town Market had been scheduled to run July 11 through Aug. 8.

On Wednesday, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director DeVika Stalling posted on social media that while working toward a more sustainable future, no chamber activity would occur from June 23 through July 6.