HomeMy WebLinkAboutTourism & Fair Committee - Minutes - 8/18/2015K:\(Tourism Committee)\2015\Meeting Materials\08-18\08 18 15 meeting min.docx
Minutes of the
TOURISM & RECREATION COMMITTEE OF THE BAYFIELD COUNTY BOARD
Tuesday, August 18, 2:00 p.m.
County Board Room, Bayfield County Courthouse, Washburn, WI
Members Present: Bucky Jardine, Brett Rondeau, John Bennett
Members Absent: Shawn Miller, Rusty Williams
Others Present: Mary Motiff, Sue Trepanier
I. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by Jardine.
II. Public Comment: none
III. Motion Regarding April 28, 2015 Meeting Minutes: Motion (Rondeau, Bennett) to approve the minutes from
the April 28, 2015 committee meeting. Motion Carried.
IV. 2015 Budget Update:
The majority of revenue will be coming in from now until the end of the year with Visitor Guide
& ATV/UTV map ad sales.
Lodging is over budget due to Superior Days. It was suggested to take these expenses out of the
County budget.
Using a percentage of county sales tax for event expenses was discussed. It was decided to deal
with these expenses on a case by case basis utilizing the general or contingency fund.
ITBEC membership was also discussed. The Tourism committee of ITBEC is an active group and
doing a great job making membership worthwhile.
V. Discussion and Possible Action on 2016 Budget Planning: The proposed 2016 budget includes $200
for a cell phone upgrade, $200 additional for Superior Days lodging, $500 for event-related expenses
and 2% wage & fringe increases. Motiff will remove the $500 in event-related expenses. Motion
(Rondeau, Bennett) to forward the budget to the Executive Committee. Motion Carried.
VI. Report from Director:
The new winter promo video was shown & discussed.
A summer/fall promo video will be shot soon.
Copies of the Wisconsin Atlas with our ad were handed out; this is a new publication.
Approximately 650 Visitor Guide/ATV map ad solicitation letters were sent out and ads are
starting to come in.
The Tourism Department has input over 600 businesses on the County website. If a business
isn’t on there and we receive their information, we’ll add it. This is a free service.
Social media: we have 1986 “followers” on our facebook page. Motiff has started using Twitter
and the WI Department of Tourism will “re-tweet” items.
Motiff stated that the 2015 year-to-date sales tax is up 1% overall from this time last year.
K:\(Tourism Committee)\2015\Meeting Materials\08-18\08 18 15 meeting min.docx
Individual meetings are ongoing with all chambers; regional tourism meeting was held in June.
The Bayfield County Fair was a success. Photos were shown.
Motiff was a speaker on tourism and the NGLVC at the Kiwanis Club.
Some towns are taking over upkeep on the USFS properties that have reduced services.
The Tourism Dept. is sponsoring the show “Blue Canvas Orchestra in Concert” on August 27th.
Recently switched to Google Analytics to keep better track of website stats.
VII. Future Agenda Items and Next Meeting Date: No meeting date was set, but will meet before the end
of the year. Agenda items will include a budget update.
VIII. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 3:20 pm.
Respectfully submitted by:
Sue Trepanier
Clerk III – Tourism Department