Agenda 05-06-25; 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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43 1 Chair Bedford mentioned the diminishing marginal returns. She said that if you are only spending 2 based on revenue flow, it is not efficient fiscal management. She said it doesn't make sense to 3 her for all of occupancy tax funds to go to one department. She said she thought it should have a 4 budget. 5 Chair Bedford said the Visitors Bureau does have a budget. 6 Vice-Chair Hamilton said that it should be a budget that is based on need. She said many 7 say it is arts. She said that to have a successful tourist experience, they have to have a county 8 were everyone is functioning well because the residents are paying for it. She said she wants 9 occupancy tax to help support infrastructure, and that money should go to the best use. She said 10 in economic downturns, the county stepped in to help. She said she thinks there should be a 11 budget and anything above the budget could be spent on something else. She said it is hard to 12 tease out what the tourism budget brings to the occupancy tax because there are so many factors. 13 She said they need to look at the best use of every dollar. 14 Chair Bedford said the problem with the budget this year is that they had people get 15 evicted because they can't pay rent. She said if they can redirect some of the occupancy tax 16 dollars, then dollars are freed up to help people with housing or to support housing. She said it 17 frees up the general fund and allows more flexibility with the dollars. 18 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if it is complicating for them to have a separate fund. 19 Chair Bedford said the budget directors can manage that and it is not a worry. 20 Commissioner McKee said it is a unique area and there are unknowns that they can't plan 21 for. He said the amount of money that comes in, impacts mom and pop stores. He said the fund 22 balance does not need to continue to grow over 15% and that is what the county has. He said he 23 only supports option 1. He said that if they get soccer events, they need the flexibility to adapt 24 and move forward. 25 Commissioner Carter said she is confused why a county department has a fund balance 26 policy in addition to the county's fund balance policy. She said she understands this has been 27 the policy for a longtime, so any changes need to be carefully reviewed. She said she would like 28 to see a plan to come back in the future to discuss economic conditions because it is tough to 29 plan for economic uncertainties. She said she would like to invest in the arts and using the 30 Visitor's Bureau with that as they move forward. She said that she wants to visit the conversation 31 of fund balance policy and she questions why a department has a fund balance since the county 32 has one. 33 Commissioner Greene said she thinks of this like an enterprise fund, and they are funded 34 by the occupancy tax. She said that it is a special revenue tax and the reason that the department 35 has a fund balance policy. She said she does not feel like she knows how to micromanage the 36 expenditures. She said she can support some reduction of the fund balance, but she is only willing 37 out of compromise and ultimately, the Visitors Bureau knows what they are doing with their money. 38 Chair Bedford said she doesn't think they should have a fund balance if they go with option 39 2. She said 15% is too high, and she thinks it should be how much it costs to make payroll and 40 other fixed expenses for a certain number of months like they do with the schools. She said she 41 would agree to bring it down or set a dollar amount. 42 Vice-Chair Hamilton said she is not in favor of a department having a fund balance since 43 the county will step in if need be. 44 Commissioner Portie-Ascott said the county's budget is complicated. She said she thinks 45 they have done a tremendous job accumulating the funds, but it is hard for her to understand the 46 spending of savings. She said she doesn't know how much of a backstop they can be to all 47 departments, and she is not sure she is in favor of spending it down. 48 Commissioner Fowler said they are the backstop for all departments. She said they 49 function like an enterprise fund. She said that it's not for salaried positions, but for marketing. She 50 said maybe they need $500,000 for those purposes. She said the return on investment is what 51 she is focused on. She said they have growth in occupancy but the growth in sales tax was not