Warrensburg Convention & Visitors Bureau

Warrensburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Minutes Via Zoom 10 AM Wednesday, August 25, 2021 A meeting of the Warrensburg Convention and Visitors Bureau was held via Zoom on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. The meeting was called to order at 10:04 AM by Director Barnhart with President Tom Koenigsfeld presiding. Roll Call was as follows: Present: Tom Koenigsfeld, Dana Phelps, Kelly Brooks, Diane Thompson, Diane Whitworth, Ginny McTighe (joined 10:09 AM); ex officio members Danielle Dulin and Jim Kushner Absent: Scott Thomason The adoption of the agenda was considered. Brooks motioned and Phelps seconded to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion passed. Minutes of the July 8, 2021 WCVB Board meeting were considered. Brooks motioned and Whitworth seconded to approve the minutes as presented. Motion passed. Financial Report was provided by the WCVB Director. As of August 16, 2021, 69% of budgeted expenses has been incurred. As of August 16, 2021, the total lodging tax received for FY 20-21 is $216,106.47. Total revenue (lodging tax, grants and interest) received as of the meeting date was $279,169.53, which is 16% more than projected revenues. Strategic Plan: Barnhart thanked the WCVB board members for participating in the Strategic Planning session. Barnhart reiterated the items set out in the strategic plan: Vision: Inviting you to build on your story by sharing ours Mission statement: As storytellers we encourage visitors to discover the soul of our community by sharing memorable and vibrant experiences. Values: Collaboration: community partners working together; Creativity: open mind to adapt to an ever- changing world; Authenticity: being true to the story of our community; Integrity: clear and transparent in our message; Knowledge: honoring professional and expertise by staying informed and current. Barnhart reviewed the goals set out at the planning session: 1) Visitors Center – determining a future location for the visitor’s center 2) Visitor Profile – we can’t assume who to market to. We need to know who visitors are and how to reach them 3) Marketing Plan – once we know who the visitors are, then we can determine the best way to reach them (i.e. advertising) 4) Foster Relationships – this is an ongoing item 5) Financial Stability/Sustainability – the WCVB and the City have been conservative in the past. This helped sustain the organization and keep the doors open through COVID. There weren’t many events last year and WCVB had to pivot to other strategies and think outside the box to reach visitors. Barnhart noted that day to day procedures need to be written down. An underlying goal for financial stability would be to continue to look for revenue opportunities. Some of the grants currently available because of COVID and stimulating the economy during the pandemic won’t always be offered. Barnhart reviewed the committees and current committee vacancies. Committees can make recommendations but have no approval authority. For example, the Visitors Center Committee is looking for a location but not entering a lease. That will be the action of the board. The vacancies for finance and marketing committees will be on the September agenda. The strategic plan will be brought up at every meeting to keep everyone updated. It won’t just sit on a shelf or in the cloud. McTighe moved to accept the Strategic Plan. Brooks seconded the motion. Motion passed. 2020-2021 Revised Budget Presentation Barnhart noted that the 2019-2020 budget was revised four times due to COVID. All revenue is up for the 2020-2021 budget year. The following revisions have been made: Revenue: Lodging tax – increased to $250,000 Interest - increased to $4390 Grant Revenue – increased to $81,700 Total revenue for FY 20-21 - $342,070 Expenses: Wage – increased to $6,500 (interns) Utilities – increased to $1,000 (gas) Advertising – increased to $90,045 (grants) Communication Non-Cat: $4,000 (website-department header package) Office Supplies - $1,000 Mileage - $300 (MACVB conference and Travel Show) Supplies - $3,660 (MO birthday celebrations and Travel Show) Total expenses for FY 20-21 - $342,070 Both interns are finalizing projects approved by their program director. Barnhart noted that the budget runs concurrent with the City of Warrensburg budget – October 1st to September 30th. McTighe asked if there were funds for future COVID supplies. Barnhart noted that they had plenty on hand from the orders made from the Show Me Strong Grant. Brooks motioned to approve the revised budget. McTighe seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 2021-2022 Budget Presentation The 2021-2022 estimated budget was presented. Revenue: Lodging Tax: $300,000 The lodging tax revenue is increased $50,000 over the 2020-2021 budget. Interest: $4,000 Grant: $70,000 The $70,000 amount budgeted for grants is a confirmed amount. Total Revenue: $374,600 Expense: Personnel: $87,480 (Hiring P-T Communication Coordinator) Barnhart noted the WCVB’s part time communication coordinator has not been filled since March 2020. There are times when Barnhart must be out of the office (Governor’s visit, State Fair). A part time coordinator would help keep the doors open and the phone answered during those times. Commodities: $21,700 (Software & Supplies Non-Categorized-Group Support) Services: $250, 720 (Advertising, Contractual Services, Services Non-Categorized) It was noted that RISE provides bi-weekly cleaning services – emptying trash, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, and mopping. In the off weeks, Barnhart picks up the slack of cleaning and taking out the trash. RISE has indicated that they have availability to clean weekly at a cost of $60/week. This is a reasonable price for the service and would take the burden off Barnhart so she can focus on other duties. Non-Categorized: $15,000 (Community Grants) The line item for community grants was increased from $10,000 (FY 20-21) to $15,000 due to more events coming back after COVID. Total Expense: $374,600 McTighe motioned to approve the budget. Koenigsfeld seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Director’s Report: Barnhart provided her director’s report. She noted community bags were presented to attendees at the MO Leadership event hosted by the Missouri Chamber Foundation. During the Missouri Travel Show at the Missouri State Fair, the numbers of attendees were down. Barnhart noted the engagement with those that visited the WCVB booth was positive. The UCM Historic Tour was a huge success in the spring of 2021. The event has been expanded to two night this fall, September 24th and 25th from 7 to 8:30 PM. WCVB will staff the refreshment table on Saturday, September 25. Barnhart asked board members to check their schedules for availability to volunteer. The September meeting will be via Zoom, however Barnhart would like to have an in-person meeting quarterly. This will be discussed further at the September meeting. City Update: Danielle Dulin, Acting City Manager and Jim Kushner, Ex Officio City Council member gave a City of Warrensburg update. Dulin shared her experience with the MO Leadership event. The tour included Dollar Tree Distribution Center, UCM and a visit with Associate Circuit Judge Brent Teichman. Dulin felt that Warrensburg’s hospitality was on great display. Many in attendance commented that this was one of the best leadership sessions they had attended. The first reading of the City budget is approaching. Dulin noted that the City has a very lean budget with no special projects or additional programs. They are being very strict on their spending but have been able to present a balance budget for council to review. Also discussed was the recent change over in trash service providers from Heartland Waste to Republic. There have been some challenges with short staffing and lack of knowledge by Republic of all the customer routes. Republic has scaled back services with no recycling and no bulky items currently being picked up. The City and the trash company continue to work through the issues that have transpired. With college students back, Dulin doesn’t want their first impression of Warrensburg to be diminished by lack of trash service. Dulin noted that COVID cases were finally coming back down from a recent increase in positive cases. Both UCM and the City of Warrensburg had reimplemented mask policies during the surge in cases but Dulin was hopeful with the numbers going back down. Kushner noted that the City Manager search has been narrowed from 44 initial applicants down to two candidates with Dulin being one of them. It was also noted that long time City Clerk, Cindy Gable will be retiring after over 40 years of service. A reception will be held September 13th in her honor. Board Comments: McTighe noted the Junior History Walking Tour brochure she received at the Farmers’ Market- Birthday Party for Missouri event was a nice piece. Barnhart noted that was created by the special project’s intern and was printed internally by the WCVB. The intern is also working on an outdoor recreating rack card that some of the hotels have asked for, pulling together cohesive information and locations of trails in the area. Kushner noted that an update had been provided at the recent legislative breakfast that funding for the Knob Noster State Park section of the Spirit Trail has been approved. Dulin, who serves on the Spirit Trail Coalition, confirmed, and stated that the Department of Conservation is in the process of determining the path the trail will take through the state park. With no further matters to discuss and no comments from the public, Barnhart adjourned the meeting and thanked everyone for attending. Submitted by WCVB Secretary Diane Thompson