FAIRHOPE, Ala. - Despite the apparent support of a majority of City Council members this week, the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce will have to wait until June for the city’s possible financial assistance of the group’s economic and community development plan called “Blueprint for a Better Tomorrow.”

During a Financial Advisory Committee meeting Jan. 24 before the council meeting that night, the local Chamber office sought a commitment of $35,000 per year for the next five years for that strategic marketing plan that will focus on economic and workforce development, tourism and public and community affairs, according to the group’s co-chairman David Clark, who made the request. Clark said Spanish Fort has committed to support the Chamber’s program and Daphne is considering it.

Clark presented a number of financial figures he said demonstrated how the city’s support of the Blueprint efforts would benefit the city through increased local tax revenue and economic improvements for tourism and local businesses.

“I’m respectfully skeptical of those numbers,” said FAC member Stan Grubin, who asked for the name and background of the company that did the Chamber’s research.

The city has supported previous Blueprint efforts, but the FAC decided during budget hearings last year that all community grant requests would be considered at one time and not throughout the year, as had become customary during recent years. A procedure was set in place for those requests, which the city had earlier established but did not always observe, of having all community groups submit their requests by June to be considered for next year’s budget cycle that starts in October, according to FAC members.

Mayor Tim Kant and Council members Mike Ford, Debbie Quinn and Dan Stankoski all expressed support for the Blueprint program.

Councilman Rick Kingrea also expressed support but said the council should abide by the procedures it set for itself during last year’s budget process.

“I’m in general agreement with the Blueprint for reasons the mayor gave and think it’s a worthy cause,” Kingrea said. “I will vote for it. But I think we need to be true to how we said we’re going to do our budgeting.”

The FAC decided to delay consideration of the request until the next budget cycle starts in June. The FAC chairman stated the Chamber would not need to make another formal request at that time.

During the council work session that followed the FAC meeting, the council gave its approval to a request from Mobile Baykeeper for the Grandman Triathlon to be held in the city. That request involved a financial commitment of about $2,000. The council added that item to its agenda and approved it at its regular meeting.

At the work session, Kingrea said their treatment of that group’s request was inconsistent with how they handled the Chamber’s request.

“I think we’re talking out of both sides of our mouth,” Kingrea said. “We’ve said consistently that we’re not going to do that.”

Council President Lonnie Mixon, who supported a delay in the Chamber’s request but endorsed the immediate approval of the other one, said the two requests were different because the Mobile Baykeeper event would occur before the June time period when all community development requests would normally be considered.