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By ALEXANDRA NEWMAN The Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission Tuesday afternoon approved $50,000 for a County-wide Branding, Product Development and Marketing Recommendation Plan by Destination Development International. The $50,000, which must still be approved in additional appropriations by Porter County Council, is to be partnered with $100,000 from Porter County Economic Alliance, and anticipated $25,000 from cities and towns. All but one member in attendance voted for the special project. Gloria Reed, argued she would prefer the money be used for signage instead of “suggestions”. Executive Director Lorelei Weimer defended the project saying signage is only a small part of the bigger project which is to establish a niche action plan for towns, cities and the county. She said the marketing plan will show how to bring businesses into their towns. The goal is to contract with DDI the first week of February and start the project in April. Reed is one of the re-appointed members to the board. She was re-appointed by Commissioner Robert Harper. Others welcomed back are Michael Scott, Portage Mayor appointee, Roberta Newlin, also a Portage Mayor appointee. Newly seated was Pat Jackson, appointed by Commissioner Carole Knoblock. Jackson is the Assistant Director of the Porter County Animal Shelter and has served on many boards throughout Porter County. Those returning to fill their terms included David Canright, County Commissioner appointee, Matt Murphy, County Council appointee and Carolyn Birky, Towns of Kouts and Hebron appointee. Jeff Good, Valparaiso Mayor appointee was absent. Judy Chaplin, was appointed Tuesday night by the Towns of Chesterton and Porter and was previously appointed by the Town of Burns Harbor. During the reorganization of the board, David Canright nominated Chaplin for treasurer of the board dependent upon the outcome of the Tri-Town Appointment, which came about later in the evening. The PCCRVC vote was unanimous for her re-appointment as treasurer, pending the outcome. The vote for all officers Tuesday afternoon was unanimous. Michael Scott, president, David Canright, vice-president, and Matt Murphy, secretary. Also, the board was updated on the job descriptions for PCCRVC staff members and approved the changes as recommended by Roger Brooks of DDI. In other business, the board approved continuing to use a portion of the Innkeepers tax to support four Porter County venues, although there has been a change in the portions. The total amount to be distributed is $89,100. Of that, the Expo Center, Porter County Jail and Memorial Opera House each will receive $17,820 and Porter County Parks will receive $35,640. The distribution is less for the Expo Center and Opera House and more for the Jail than in previous years. Also approved was the PCCRVC strategic plan and the business plan. Weimer reported that the 2008 Innkeepers Tax brought in income above 2007 in the first three quarters, but began to show signs of slowing in the fourth quarter despite having a revenue increase. “We are more concerned about 2009,” Weimer said, “but we are holding our own with our competitors.” Advertising for the Travel Planner, now closed for this year, is down from what was sold in 2008, Weimer said. On the upside, Marketing Director Becky Fox reported e-mail has increased, phone inquiries have decreased and visits to the Visitor Center increased. Also, numerous rooms have been booked for an upcoming Bowling Tournament. The board was given an executive summary from Ball State University concerning the Innkeeper’s Tax, Industry Structure and Impacts, which shows the impact on the local economies. The tax provides the budget for the PCCRVC. Noting that the economy is suffering tough times, Canright reminded the board that State Statute does not provide a way to collect delinquent taxes, so PCCRVC invented its own method of collection, which has been used in the past. The board is not privy to which specific hotel is delinquent, but by charting the income, they are aware of the income comparison. When it is apparent there is a major decrease in income, the PCCRVC Attorney is given the task to collect the tax from the appropriate innkeeper. The December collection was $120,923.55 for a 2008 total of $1,026,871 and 11 percent increase over 2007. The January 2009 collection was $75,875.36, a 16 percent decrease from 2008. Because the board did not meet in December due to the weather, the board approved both the November and December claims. The November year-to-date expenditures were $811,993,59, which was 71.78 percent of the total budget. The December claims were $182,725.59, which brought spending to 87.9 percent of the total budget. Final action taken Tuesday was approval for grants for three events for 2009. The board approved $3,000 for the Bowling Tournament, $2,000 for a new two-day festival, Bastille Day in Valparaiso and $500 for the Indiana Association of Weights and Measures conference. Weimer said money is still available for a possible Wizard of Oz Festival returning to Chesterton and a national symphony engagement in Valparaiso. The next meeting will be at 4 p.m. Tuesday, February 17 at the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center, 1420 Munson Rd., Porter. Posted 1/28/2009 |
