On a 3-2 vote the Supervisors approved giving the $100K to the Tourism Bureau. Supervisors Jones and Long were the no votes.
The Board does not want any of the $500K to be used for the EDC feasibility study.
July 12, 2015 - At the Tuesday, July 7, 2015 Mariposa County Board of Supervisors meeting the Board had a discussion on: Approving a First Amendment to Contract for Services with the Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau Increasing the Compensation Amount by $100,000; and Authorize the Board of Supervisors Chair to Sign the First Amendment.
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CAO Mary Hodson said this item will increase the contribution to the Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau by $100,000. She said last year the contribution was decreased from $500,000 to $400,000 and would be reconsidered at Mid-Year budget talks. But during the talks the item was not pursued. On the June 9, Board meeting the Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau approached the Supervisors to have the funding restored. The Board recommended that the item was to come back for further discussion (today). The upcoming budget hearings in late August will consider giving the Bureau $500,000.
Roger Biery of the Mariposa County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) said this expenditure is an investment and the Tourism Bureau has not had an increase in funding from the county in at least a decade. Mr. Biery said the Tourism Bureau has had to dip into reserves. He encouraged the Board to support this request.
Supervisor Marshall Long said he has heard the money from the county was only supposed to be seed money and not an annual expenditure to the Tourism Bureau. He said this is why the TBID (The 1% tax the industry imposes on itself) was created. Other departments (Fire, Roads, Sheriff) have seen cuts over the years while every year the Tourism Bureau received $500,000. Also the TOT (10% Bed Tax) totals are up so the TBID must also be up.
Supervisor Kevin Cann said most surrounding counties give a straight percentage every year to their tourism bureaus.
Supervisor Cann said the TOT this year to the county is $13 million.
Supervisor Cann said he was a supporter last year in withholding the $100K from the $500K yearly allotment because of the upcoming public vote in November of 2014 to increase the TOT 1.25% increase (The vote failed). Also the Tourism Bureau was supposed to increase the TBID .75% which they did not do.
(Left) Mariposa County Supervisor Merlin Jones
Supervisor Merlin Jones said he has concerns but supports tourism and the EDC. He said at a Tourism Board meeting the EDC requested for the Tourism Bureau to provide EDC with $20K for a feasibility study for a hotel convention center in Mariposa County if the county provides the Tourism Bureau with the $100K. Supervisor Jones wants the money to be used for advertising only. He does not like the idea of EDC going through the Tourism Bureau for money and does not like the idea of spending $40K for a feasibility study.
Supervisor John Carrier said he has advocated to the Tourism Bureau to raise the TBID. He said the number of rooms in Mariposa County has been stagnant and the only way the TOT is rising is through higher rates. He said in the future raising the TOT is going to have to be considered because of the demands on county government.
Supervisor Rosemarie Smallcombe said she is disappointed that EDC asked the Tourism Bureau for money. She said we have to spend money to compete and we need to explore alternate funding options.
Supervisor Smallcombe said there needs to be a public meeting so the public can understand the EDC's vision of a conference center so the public can comment.
Supervisor Cann said it is wrong to tell the Tourism Bureau that they could not use money for the EDC study and the Tourism Bureau supports the study for a conference center.
Kevin Shelton, Tourism Board member said he voted yes for the Tourism Bureau to spend the money on the EDC study.
Roger Biery of EDC said he is shocked. The reason he went to the Tourism Bureau to fund the study was because the Supervisors did not want to pay $40K out of a $50K granting to the EDC was too much for one project. He said the Tourism Bureau agreed to pay $20K. He said this is just like Townsend Public Affairs where they co-mingle money with $30K of County money with $30K of Tourism Bureau money. He said it almost sounds like you are accusing us of doing something untoward and nefarious.
On a 3-2 vote the Supervisors approved giving the $100K to the Tourism Bureau. Supervisors Jones and Long were the no votes.
The Board does not want any of the $500K to be used for the study.
Supervisors Packet Information
RESOLUTION - ACTION REQUESTED
MEETING: July 7, 2015
TO: The Board of Supervisors
FROM: Kevin Cann, District IV Supervisor
RE: First Amendment to Contract for Services with Tourism Bureau
RECOMMENDATION AND JUSTIFICATION:
Approve First Amendment to Contract for Services with the Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau Increasing the Compensation Amount by $100,000; and Authorize the Board of Supervisors Chair to Sign the First Amendment. The Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau is responsible for marketing Mariposa County tourism and visitor activities. The traditional funding amount of the Contract has been $500,000, but during the Final Budget Hearings for Fiscal Year 2014-15, this contract amount was reduced to $400,000 and a contract was subsequently approved by the Board of Supervisors for this amount. The full contract amount has been paid to the Yosemite/Mariposa Tourism Bureau with the last payment being made on April 15, 2015.
The Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau has indicated that this reduction in funding will affect their ability to successfully market Mariposa County as reported in their presentation to the Board on June 9, 2015. Since the contract term overlaps the County's fiscal years, the requested additional funding is an amendment to the existing Contract for Services that terminates on September 30, 2015, but the funding will come from the Fiscal Year 2015-16 Budget. BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF BOARD ACTIONS: On June 9, 2015, the Board of Supervisors received a report from the Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, that included the impacts to the Bureau of the reduction of the $100,000. The Board directed staff to return with an Amendment to the Contract, increasing the compensation amount to its traditional level of $500,000. ALTERNATIVES AND CONSEQUENCES OF NEGATIVE ACTION: Do not approve the Amendment. The Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau may not have sufficient funding to successfully market Market County.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The additional $100,000 will be included in the Requested/Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2015-16. Because the Recommended Budget has not yet been balanced, the impact of this additional funding is unknown at the present time. It should be noted, that if the Amendment is approved, that the Board is committing a minimum of $100,000 to the Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau for Fiscal Year 2015-16.
CAO RECOMMENDATION: No Opinion
COMMENTS: It is Preferable to Have These Types of Funding Requests Considered During Final Budget Hearings When All Requests for Funding Can be Considered Together. While the Board Directed that This Item Come Back at This Date/Time for Approval, the Traditional Contribution of $500,000 to the Tourism Bureau Will Considered During Final Budget Hearings for Fiscal Year 2015-16.
