THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 21, 1995 TAG: 9503210289
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
A six-member citizen board could decide how $50,000 in tourism money is spent next year under a proposal by several members of the Elizabeth City Council and Pasquotank County Commissioners.
A committee of city and county officials met Monday afternoon to discuss a plan for a joint tourism board that would oversee roughly half of what the governments receive in occupancy tax money in the coming fiscal year.
County commissioners later endorsed the concept of the tourism board as outlined by the committee. The City Council discussed the issue.
Fiscal 1995-96 will be the eighth year the tax is charged in Elizabeth City and the first year the money is shared equally between the city and county, commissioner Chairman Zee Lamb said. Previously, the entire sum went to the city.
Total revenues from the tax were expected to reach about $110,000 in the fiscal year ending this June, officials said. The committee discussing the tourism board agreed to recommend allotting $50,000 for the board's first year starting July 1, which would be about half of each government's expected occupancy tax receipts.
Under the plan discussed Monday, the tourism board would include three appointees each from the county and the city. Board members would have some involvement in the tourism industry and would decide where city and county tourism funds should be spent from year to year.
The appointees would be joined by a nonvoting member from each government, perhaps an elected official or a government manager or finance officer.
The major challenge in making such a board effective, said Councilman Lloyd Griffin, would be ``trying to find six people who can work together'' in doling out limited resources.
Funding targets for the board would include many agencies and events currently being supported by the council and the county commissioners, such as annual fireworks, some chamber of commerce activities and signs for the historic walking tour.
But the board would lend more oversight to the process of ensuring that money earmarked for tourism activity would be spent that way, said Councilman David Bosomworth.
Board members would also be asked to help only projects with direct effects on the local community.
``Any of this money needs to be spent on things that specifically benefit Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County,'' County Manager Randy Keaton said.
Tourism boards are not new to local governments that receive occupancy tax funds. Three of four areas recently contacted by city officials had such boards, City Manager Ralph Clark said in a separate interview Monday. by CNB