Room Tax Commission

900 Quay Street City of Manitowoc Manitowoc, WI 54220 www.manitowoc.org Meeting Minutes - Final Room Tax Commission Tuesday, May 7, 2019 5:00 PM City Hall Council Chambers Pursuant to Section 19.84(2) and (3) of the Wisconsin Statutes, notice is hereby given to the public, to the Herald-Times-Reporter, the official newspaper of Manitowoc, and to those news media who have filed a written request for this notice that a meeting of the above-referenced will be held at the date, time and location listed above. Notice is hereby given that a majority of the Common Council of the City of Manitowoc, or a standing committee of that body, may be present at this meeting to gather information about the subject matter over which they have decision making responsibility. The above governmental body will meet to discuss and possibly take action on the agenda items set forth below. Call to Order Roll Call Present: 5- Nickels, McMeans, Brey, Reilly and Kroner Excused: 1- Sitkiewitz Approval of Minutes 19-0518 Review and approval of April 10th, 2019 meeting minutes Attachments: 04-10-2019 Minutes Moved by McMeans, seconded by Brey, that these Minutes be approved. The motion carried. Ayes, 5. Nays, none Discussion and Action Items 19-0517 Discussion and possible action on Discover Manitowoc Grant Application for Subfest 2019 Attachments: SubFest Application City of Manitowoc Page 1 Room Tax Commission Meeting Minutes - Final May 7, 2019 Representatives of Subfest were not at this meeting, so it will be taken up at the next meeting. 19-0516 Discussion and possible action on Discover Manitowoc Grant Application from Art Slam 2019 Attachments: Art Slam Manitowoc Application Cheryl Mahowald and Erin Labonte presented their request for $6,559 to be used to fund marketing expenses for Art Slam Manitowoc. In 2018, the marketing budget for the event was just under $1,500 and it will be ten times that for the 2019 event (approx. $15,000). The stated they had 600 - 1,000 attendees in 2018 and anticipate that will increase to nearly 8,000 in 2019 due to increased marketing and promotion and into larger markets. A The Wisconsin Department of Tourism has awarded the application a Joint Effort Marketing Grant to use towards the event, and additional funding is expected to be raised from local businesses and private citizens. Moved by McMeans, seconded by Reilly, that the request for $6,559 be approved. The motion carried. Ayes, 5. Nays, none 19-0519 Discussion and possible action on agreement with MAVCB Attachments: 2017-2021 Services Agreement - Signed Mayor Nickels opened discussion regarding the current Tourism Services Agreement with MAVCB. He stated that the City recently had an appraisal conducted on the MAVCB site to get an idea of its value if it were to be sold for private use. He did not suggest relocating the MAVCB to another location at this time, just that the value was being explored. The use of the site is currently restricted by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), however WisDOT is willing to reconsider this restriction. Alderperson Kummer joined the discussion as the City Council rep to the MAVCB board. He identified that per the agreement, Item #5, Term, if there was a decision to terminate the agreement effective for 2020, the City would need to approve that and provide notice to the MAVCB on or before June 1, 2019, which doesn’t give much notice to MAVCB. The Commission discussed it was not the desire to terminate the agreement at this time, but rather to address health of MAVCB’s operations. Alderperson Novak indicated he had questions about potentially moving the location of the MAVCB, especially if it were to downtown Manitowoc, as the entity serves the entire County. Discussion continued regarding the health of MAVCB, and specifically the recurring turnover in the bureau’s sales manager position. The focus of the discussion was the existing highly-regarded sales manager’s recent City of Manitowoc Page 2 Room Tax Commission Meeting Minutes - Final May 7, 2019 resignation and request for an exit interview, and that the MAVCB Executive Director not be included. Mayor Nickels indicated if the City contracts with the tourism entity, but the entity’s sales manager position keeps turning over, the City should know why. MAVCB executive Director Ring stated they have started the search for a new sales manager already. He provided background on the last four sales managers and speculated as to why each left. McMeans appreciated Mr. Ring’s comments, but indicated he didn’t concur with what was being said. He added if his employees were leaving he would want to know, and if that they were unhappy he felt that would be a reflection on his leadership. He is concerned with the turnover and wanted to know how MAVCB would change that and recruit appropriately. Commissioner Reilly shared that she believes the strength of the 2019 activity has a lot to do with the sales manager (that recently resigned). Reilly indicated that herself and another Board member (Theresa) would be conducting an exit interview in the near future and was prepared with the questions they have, and the results will be shared with the City. No action was taken. 19-0397 Review Discover Manitowoc Grant Application and Policy Attachments: Room Tax Budget Kroner presented that there were discrepancies among the existing Room Tax Allocations Policy, the Discover Manitowoc Grant Application, and the way things have actually been administered over the past few years. The following identifies the items discussed and the recommended way to move forward: 2-16-15 Policy: No withholding App Language Final 10% of award to be withheld until event report complete How Administered Per policy Recommendation Do Not Withhold funds. Amend application 2-16-15 Policy: Must be to tax-exempt non-profit organization App Language Preference to non-profits but also open to for-profits How Administered Per app Recommendation City of Manitowoc Page 3 Room Tax Commission Meeting Minutes - Final May 7, 2019 Allow for-profits to apply. Change Policy. 2-16-15 Policy: Apps to be submitted and reviewed bi-annually for awards (timeline provided) App Language Submittal dates identified Nov 30 and May 31 How Administered No deadline - accept as requested Recommendation Apps to be submitted and reviewed once/year for awards. Accept apps Jan 1 - Feb 28/29. Review and award in March. 2-16-15 Policy: Post-event Reporting: Report back to board w/in 6 mos App Language Post-event Reporting: Report back to board in 90 days How Administered No set time Recommendation Report back w/in 6 months of event 2-16-15 Policy: Post-event reporting: Simple form will be provided to grantees w/set questions and request for documentation App Language Post-event Reporting: Indicates to provide a report, no form. How Administered Applicant-driven report, no form Recommendation Prepare a simple form with requested info/data desired. Kroner to make revisions to policy (and application and program guidelines) and bring to Finance and Council for approval in June. Ajournment Moved by Brey, seconded by McMeans, that this meeting be adjourned at 5:50 p.m. The motion carried. Ayes, 5. Nays, none In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the City of Manitowoc will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities. If you need assistance or reasonable accommodations in participating in this meeting or event due to a disability as defined under the ADA, please call the City Clerk's office at 920-686-6950 or the City’s ADA Coordinator at (920) 686-6990 or e-mail cityattorney@manitowoc.org at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled meeting or event to request an accommodation. For additional assistance, individuals with hearing or speech disabilities can call 711 and be connected to a telephone relay system. City of Manitowoc Page 4