The Porter County
Council voted 5-2 to approve the Convention, Recreation and Visitors
Commission’s proposed 2016 budget with the only change being a $10,900
increase to the venue fund for the County Parks, Expo Center, Memorial Opera
House and County Museum.
About 30 or so
residents sat in on the discussion Tuesday, many of whom attended last
week’s public hearing protesting the PCCRVC’s use of tax funds to lobby for
legislation to allow alcohol at the Indiana Dunes State Park Pavilion. The
PCCRVC Board of Directors also threw its support behind Pavilion Partners
LLC which has a lease with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to
renovate the pavilion and build a banquet center.
The PCCRVC receives
funding for its budget through the innkeeper’s tax of five percent on hotel
stays in the county, and a lease payment from the National Parks Service for
the operation of the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center. The 2016 projected budget
was approved at $1,341,690.
Margaret Willis of
Chesterton and Dunes Action had read a statement last week asking the
Council to increase the funding for the venue fund, reform the innkeeper’s
tax and make the PCCRVC matching grant fund for local non-profit groups
only.
But the County
Council didn’t find problems with the organizations who received the grants
this past year as all of them had been for events held in Porter County.
“There’s nobody on
this list that doesn’t belong here. The money is being spent absolutely
appropriately,” said Council member Jim Biggs, R-1st.
PCCRVC Board
President Mitch Peters, who is the Council’s sole appointment on the board,
said the tourism bureau has been true to its mission statement of “being a
key economic driver of sustainable tourism growth in Porter County” and that
“these grants are important to our communities.”
Council President
Dan Whitten, D-at large, steered the discussion towards the Pavilion
Partners issue telling Peters and PCCRVC Executive Director Lorelei Weimer
that the Council “has been inundated with ‘hate mail’ because of the
development up on the beach” and would be remiss if it didn’t address the
concerns the public has expressed about the PCCRVC budget.
Peters said the
Pavilion Partners project appeared on the board’s agenda in April right
after the DNR held a meeting at the Chesterton Middle School and felt it
best be moved to another time as a chance to provide the public with answers
to their questions. The meeting was held on July 16 at the Memorial Opera
House.
Whitten, who said
he is not a proponent of Pavilion Partners, then asked Peters, “was it your
charge on the (tourism board) to approve this project?”
Peters replied in
the affirmative saying “this project has significant impact on tourism in
Porter County, a positive impact.” There will be more people coming to the
beach, staying in hotels and spending money in the county,” he said. “I
believe there is millions of dollars of economic benefit.”
Since there had
been an analysis into what the Pavilion will bring in, Biggs asked if there
had been a study to look at the negative impacts it would have, given the
PCCRVC’s stance that the Dunes are the most valuable piece of property in
the state.
Peters said he does
not believe a study like that has been done but Weimer said Pavilion
Partners is currently conducting an environmental impact study. Biggs
pondered why the study is being done now when it makes more sense that it be
done prior to construction and applying for a liquor permit.
Biggs scolded the
board for even considering support for the project and “carrying the water
on this” when a representative on the PCCRVC -- Valparaiso businessman Chuck
Williams -- is the primary investor.
“You should have
gotten away from this as far as possible,” Biggs said, adding that it has
caused much frustration to “the people who want to protect that park.”
If there was any
time he felt he was not doing his job, Peters said he would step down from
the board. He said he “takes issue” with accusations of him being “rude” at
the July 16 presentation, contending that it “was handled well.” “It was
controlled chaos,” Peters said.
Council member
Sylvia Graham, D-at large, said there has always been a good rapport
previously between the Council and the PCCRVC but suggested “that going
forward things be drawn out into the open and we have good interaction with
what is going on.”
Fellow Council
member Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, said he agrees that “there is not enough
communication” between the two entities. He said he’s heard of the studies
done on sports feasibility in Porter County and the Expo Center but the
Council has not heard the results from the tourism bureau.
Rivas, Whitten and
Council Vice-President Karen Conover, R-3rd, made the push that more money
be given to the four County venues.
The Commissioners,
PCCRVC and Council years ago directed that 10 percent, of the innkeeper’s
tax help fund county venues that serve visitors as well as local residents.
The “venue fund” was split with 40 percent going to the Parks Department,
and the other 60 percent going to the Commissioners to be spent as they
direct on the Memorial Opera House, the Museum and the Expo Center. During a
later budget crisis the County Council raised the percentage to 12.5 percent
of the innkeepers tax to relieve pressure on the county’s general fund.
Still later, the
PCCRVC succeeded in getting the Council to freeze the venue fund at its
current level of $89,000.
The Council Tuesday
talked of changing the formula to give further help to the three smaller
venues which are “struggling,” but Council attorney Scott McClure said that
would need approval from the Commissioners.
Before voting, the
Council examined line items that could be cut such as $250,000 for
marketing, but Weimer said the last time the marketing was going to be cut,
it upset a few businesses.
Graham said, “It’s
hard to cut this budget because it is so necessary.”
Vote
The motion was made
to boost the venue fund to $100,000. Those voting in favor were Graham,
Biggs, Conover, Council member Mike Jessen, R-4th, and member Robert Poparad,
D-at large.
Voting no were
Whitten and Rivas who said their vote was influenced by their desire to see
even more funding go to the county venues.
Whitten stated to
the audience that the Council has no control over the DNR or the Indiana
Alcohol and Tobacco Commission which will be voting on whether to grant
Pavilion Partners a liquor permit.