PENDLETON — Backed by $500,000 from the city of Pendleton, a new tourism effort is getting its first infusion of cash.

During a special meeting Tuesday, June 22, the council unanimously voted to approve a $100,000 budget transfer so that the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce could get its first payment for Pendleton Comes Alive ahead of the end of the fiscal year.

City Manager Robb Corbett explained that the council needed to approve the budget transfer before the start of the new fiscal year in July because of the expenses the chamber has already incurred promoting the initiative.

“It’s heavily front loaded with marketing money because we need to get ahead of people’s summer planning,” he said.

When the council adopted the 2021-22 budget June 1, the city included a portion of the COVID-19 relief money it received in federal stimulus to contribute to Pendleton Comes Alive, a project meant to boost tourism by launching a number of Western-themed activities on the weekends during the summer months, including concerts on South Main Street, tours of the Round-Up Grounds and horse carriage rides.

As a part of a formal agreement between, the city promised to pay the chamber $500,000 over two years to get the effort started. In both years of the deal, the city is supposed to pay the chamber $100,000 in May and $75,000 in July and August.

Although Pendleton Economic Development Director Steve Chrisman has assured the council that Pendleton Comes Alive would bring new visitors to Pendleton, the only record the agreement requires is for the chamber to send to the city a full accounting of the project’s finances at the end of each year.

However, at a previous meeting, Councilor Sally Brandsen requested the chamber deliver a report to the council on any visitor records it collects.

At the Tuesday meeting, Carole Innes shared some anecdotes from her experience as an event volunteer, saying she chatted with several tourists who traveled to Pendleton specifically because they heard of Pendleton Comes Alive.