07221996 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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8 Regular Meeting July 22/ 1996 Page 8 San Marcos Hospitality Association to promote tourism in our community. In 1995 room revenue rates were up by one million dollars over 1994. The figure reflects a healthy business, but when individual business owners were contacted, they reported business is down. At the meeting held last year with Jim Kimmel, room revenue rates were the only criteria used to gauge a healthy tourism business. A survey was provided to visitors by the Hospitality -- Association to ask visitors where they were from and why they are ¡ here. The Hospitality Association determined the million dollar increase in 1995 was due to an increase in some of the room rates, ¡ but business and the occupancy rate in our hotels are down. The ¡ Association looks forward to the report from the Blue Ribbon Committee. The Association wants to contract with the City for the full amount of funds available from the hotel/motel occupancy tax. They want to reconstruct the CVB Board and propose 15 members to be renamed the Tourism Development Council and for all the members to be directly involved in tourism. They want to require the membership to attend meetings or be replaced. They propose for Main Street, the Arts and Special Events and the duties of the CVB Board' be combined into one group, preferably in a City building not presently occupied. They want to strengthen the volunteer force, reduce the administrative salaries and salaries at the tourist center and increase advertising. Ms. Wiley thanke~the Council for their support of tourism and cooperation with the new visitors center at Tanger which is manned by volunteers. Bob Sappington reviewed with Council his proposal and stated it was time for a change. He thinks the Blue Ribbon Committee's slogan of San Marcos, a Texas crossroads, is a great idea and thinks that is where we are right now. He stated the Chamber receives 6% raises each year and compared Main Street's car allowance of $100 a month to the Chamber's $700 a month for lease and car maintenance and stated that is a lot of difference. He stated a local owner of a tourist. attraction resigned from CVB this year because he felt he was' wasting his time. He stated there is not enough volunteer training, I although there are a lot of good volunteers dedicated to helping the' community. He thinks the Board should be under the control of the City and could possibly be under Rodney Cobb. He proposes a tourism director with an advisory board and include Main Street, the special events coordinator, and arts and cultural events. This director should prepare an events calendar and be responsible for improvement and training of volunteers. Mr. Sappington provided the Council with highlights of his proposal. Ms. Hughson asked Mr. Sappington who would do the marketing, and he proposed it would be done by the tourism director and thinks there would be a savings of $15,000-$30,000 in salaries. Mr. Sappington suggested the Chamber not be involved in tourism and that they work with economic development. Mr. Guerra stated he would be in favor of the Council discussing the proposals in Executive Session and a Workshop. He stated there are some good suggestions, and the issue for him will be whether or not the Chamber is doing an effective job with the contracts, and if the Council determines they are not, to then look at other options. He stated there is a substantial amount of money involved and what the Council does with it is important. Mayor Moore stated he is in favor of an Executive Session and Workshop and wants the current Chamber contracts extended until after the work is completed by Messrs. Mihalkanin and Kimmel, then there may be more I of a basis for decisions. Mr. Hernandez is in favor of a Workshop! and stated as Mayor Pro-Tern serving as the Council's representative to CVB, he has had to deal with these tough issues and has not ¡~~- backed off from doing so. He has solicited citizen comments and there are things that need to be looked at. Ms. Hughson stated she was amazed to learn the City has not gone through a bid process for this contract. The Council needs to get the best deal for the taxpayer and the Council has a responsibility to say this is what we want and to pick the best deal. Mr. Cox stated he thinks that is what the Council intended to do last year when the business plan was developed. He stated the Council did not go through bids but specified objectives and criteria for what we wanted. Mr. Cox stated there is a difference between a comprehensive plan and a fragmentation and would be concerned about splitting it out. He feels the process was improved last year and thinks a Workshop or Executive Session is in order. Mr. Mihalkanin agrees an Executive