Page 9 - Grapevine Budget FY21

October 1, 2020

Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council:

On behalf of the entire City organization, I am pleased to present the City’s FY 2021 program of
services for the City of Grapevine. As you well know, this year’s budget was planned under the
uncertainty of a pandemic, but city revenues are doing better than projected. The City is facing
many unknowns at this time, including potential impacts on property values, long-term impacts
on area businesses, and a projection as to when the pandemic might actually end. Because of
these unknowns, we have developed a very conservative budget that did not include pay
increases for our employees.

Highlights of Support of Residents & Business During COVID-19

The effect of the pandemic took its initial toll on City operations in mid-March 2020. This
ultimately led to a shutdown of most municipal buildings; combined with the Governor’s order
to effectively shut down retail, travel, tourism and restaurant activity. Staff used this opportunity
to put into effect a plan of support for residents and businesses. Highlights of the plan is as
follows:

Business Support & Economic Development

1. Mailed three separate mailers (42,000+ pieces) to all Grapevine residents (14,000+
households) encouraging them to shop and dine local.
2. Created a digital map on city website of area businesses with frequently updated hours
and services and advertised in e-news, social medial and websites.
3. Economic Development and Convention and Visitors Bureau frequently placed calls to
city businesses to monitor status and follow-up on needs.
4. Shared PPP loan info with businesses.

Visitor and Tourism Promotion Efforts

1. Conducted television, print and social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)
marketing/ advertising campaigns to attract visitors from across DFW to Grapevine
totaling approximately $2.3 million in ads since start of pandemic.
2. Although most conventions and meetings were either cancelled or redeveloped as virtual,
convention sales staff continued to pursue future business. However, staff secured 48
confirmed bookings with 43,092 confirmed room nights. The total economic impact of
these bookings is valued at $17 million.
3. Accelerated work on Main Street repavement, new sidewalks and Main Street/Dallas
intersection during shutdown to minimize business interruption.

1