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 Guests at the meeting were Logan County Tourism Bureau Director
Maggie McMurtrey and Tourism Council Chairman Sal Pollice.
County board member Gene Rohlfs asked questions about why the
amendment was needed, what state funding they receive, and what
their anticipated income from the hotel/motel tax would be for the
year.
Logan County Tourism Bureau Director Maggie McMurtrey said the
amendment is "basically a resolution saying we are the only 501c3
Tourism Bureau of the county, and it just helps us get state
funding." McMurtrey said the resolution is done yearly and they are
not requesting money from the board.
McMurtrey said the state funding comes through an advertising grant
of $25,000 and is used for billboards and brochures and items like
that. The Tourism Bureau has to put the state logo at the bottom of
their advertisements and comply with state regulations.
McMurtrey said their income is up about four percent, which is about
$7,000 increase from last year.
 Finance Chairman Chuck Ruben said the hotel and motel tax would be
about $140,000. He said when the Tourism Bureau was under the county
oversight, it was trending between $140,000 and $160,000 for the
hotel/motel tax, which then included all hotels in the county.
Board member Kevin Bateman asked which hotels are included.
McMurtrey said the income just includes those in the city (Lincoln),
such as Holiday Inn, Best Western, EconoLodge and Budget Inn, but it
does not include hotels on county land.
Rohlfs also asked about major expenses.
McMurtrey said, "We have spent about $30,000 in promotion and
advertisement for the county and about another $30,000 offering
sub-grants." These sub-grants went to Christmas on Vinegar Hill, the
Fairgrounds, and things like that. Other expenses are utilities,
rent, and employee benefits.
Pollice said advertising dollars are used to help attract more
tourism and bring people into the county.
The motion for a resolution to approve an amendment selecting Logan
County Tourism Bureau as Logan County's Agency of Record passed
8-2-1 with Rick Aylesworth, Kevin Bateman, Miles Craig, Emily
Davenport, Bob Farmer, Pat O'Neill, Chuck Ruben and Schaffenacker
voting yes. Dave Blankenship and Gene Rohlfs voted no. Board
Chairman David Hepler abstained.
Schaffenacker then made a motion to appoint Emily Davenport to
the Logan County Tourism Council with Adam Schmidt as alternate.
Rohlfs said he is opposed to having any county board member be a
voting member of another board, especially as an appointee from the
county. Rohlfs said those appointed tend to be a conduit from that
board to the county. He said the board used to appoint liaisons to
other boards that provided information to the county, but they were
not voting members of the other boards.
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Board member Pat O'Neill said he feels it is important to have a representative
from the Logan County Board on the Tourism Board because the board needs to show
support for tourism.
Ruben asked whether the Logan County Board had voting members on the Tourism
Board in the past when tourism was under the county.
Rohlfs said around 2011, the county began appointing people as voting members to
the Tourism Bureau's board. Prior to that, board members were appointed as
liaisons.
Schaffenacker said he had the idea to appoint a Logan County Board member to the
Tourism Council when he found out from Tourism Council member Gail Apel-Sasse
there was a vacancy. A city councilman also votes on that board.
The motion for the appointment of Emily Davenport to the Logan County Tourism
Council with Adam Schmidt as alternate passed 9-1-1 with Rick Aylesworth, Kevin
Bateman, Dave Blankenship, Miles Craig, Bob Farmer, David Hepler, Pat O'Neill,
and Chuck Ruben and Schaffenacker voting yes. Gene Rohlfs voted no, and Emily
Davenport abstained.
Other motions from the Insurance and Legislative Committee
Schaffenacker's motion to no longer offer Guardian Insurance was unanimously
approved.
Schaffenacker's motion to approve the Prevailing Wage Act passed 6-4-1 with
Miles Craig, Emily Davenport, Bob Farmer, David Hepler, Pat O'Neill, and Chuck
Ruben voting yes. Rick Aylesworth, Kevin Bateman, Dave Blankenship and Gene
Rohlfs voting no. Schaffenacker abstained from the vote.
Board members present were Rick Aylesworth, Kevin Bateman, Dave Blankenship,
Miles Craig, Emily Davenport, Chairman David Hepler, Vice Chairman Bob Farmer,
Pat O’Neill, Gene Rohlfs, Chuck Ruben, Scott Schaffenacker. Adam Schmidt was
absent.
The next Logan County Board meeting will be Tuesday, August 16, 2016 at 7:00
p.m.
[Angela Reiners]
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