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County Board and Lincoln City
Council Discuss the Future of Tourism
[May 31, 2025]
On Wednesday, May 28th, members
of the Logan County Board and the Lincoln City Council met for a
meeting to discuss funding for the Logan County Tourism Bureau (LCTB).
The meeting was held in the Training Room of the Lincoln Police
Station starting at 6:00 p.m. All but three members of the County
Board were present. This included Vice Chairman Dale Nelson, Jim
Wessbecher, Kathy Schmidt, Bob Sanders, Michael DeRoss, Lance
Conahan, Hannah Fitzpatrick, Joseph Kuhlman, and newest member Kevin
Knauer. Absent were Chairman JR Glenn, Gil Turner, and Keenan
Leesman.
For the Lincoln City Council, all members were in attendance. This
included Steve Parrott (Alderman Ward 1), Robin McClallen
(Alderwoman Ward 1), Sam Downs (Alderman Ward 2), David Sanders
(Alderman Ward 2), Dennis Clemons (Alderman Ward 3), Kevin Bateman
(Alderman Ward 3), Stan Anderson (Alderman Ward 4), and Rhonda
O’Donoghue (Alderwoman Ward 4).
Also in attendance were Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch, Lincoln City
Clerk Peggy Bateman, County Clerk and Recorder Theresa Moore,
Lincoln City Treasurer Chuck Conzo, Logan County Tourism Board
President Molly Pickering, LCTB board members Gail Apel-Sasse and
Stacie Watchel, Wanda Lee Rohlfs, Vic Martinek, and City of Lincoln
Tourism Department Director Scott McCoy.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, the
meeting started with public comments. This, while separate on the
agenda from the Board and Council’s discussion on tourism, ended up
blending the two items together.
Apel-Sasse was the first to speak,
introducing herself and stating that she has been on the LCTB board
for 35 years. She also gave a brief history of the LCTB, stating
that it had been established in the 1970’s by Wayne Conrady and was
the first tourism board in all of Illinois.
Apel-Sasse then shared some information on the LCTB, stating that,
since its inception, it has been grandfathered in to be a certified
tourism bureau. This gives the bureau access to grants through the
state that they would otherwise not be able to get. They have been
grandfathered in due to Logan County no longer having the required
number of hotels and motels for certified bureau status.
Apel-Sasse stated that the LCTB gets between $35,000 and $40,000
annually in grants from the state. In addition to the hotel/motel
taxes they were provided by the city of Lincoln, has had an
operating budget of over $200,000. With this money, Apel-Sasse
shared, they have been able to provide many things to the county,
such as the Lincoln letters, the Route 66 donut, watermelon benches,
and new wayside signs, all of which is yet to be installed but in
the works for this year. The LCTB has also previously provided
funding for the Chestnut Geographical Center for a mural they are
painting, the Emden Homecoming, and Beason’s 150th celebration. They
are also going to be providing funding for New Holland’s upcoming
150th celebration.
According to Apel-Sasse, one of the requirements for the LCTB to
continue its certified status is having a full-time director that
works at least 35 hours per week. She continued, stating that she
knows they are going to have to downsize since Lincoln pulled its
hotel/motel tax funding. This includes letting some employees go and
moving from their current location at the Lincoln Depot to the Mill
on route 66 Museum, a location they own and therefore will not need
to pay rent.
Board member Schmidt then asked a
question about why they are no longer receiving funding. Mayor Welch
answered this question, stating that the City Council has decided to
start a Lincoln Tourism department that they will be using the
hotel/motel tax income to fund. They had previously given between 90
and 95 percent of the tax revenue to the LCTB.
This led to a bit of back and forth
between Councilman Bateman and Board member Wessbecher. Bateman
stated that he did not know of any money that Lincoln received from
the LCTB. He cited events that he had helped plan in the past where
he was not given any money or had to pay the LCTB money for
advertising. Wessbecher countered that several of the things
mentioned by Apel-Sasse were for Lincoln specifically. These were
the watermelon benches, the Lincoln letters, and the Route 66 donut.
Nelson and Welch played the roles of peacekeepers, trying to make
sure the board members and council members did not argue with one
another. They guided the discussions back to the topic of tourism
when it started to go awry.
Nelson then asked if there is a way
to track the finances of the LCTB. He wanted to know where the money
is allocated that they get from their revenue sources. Pickering
stated that they could get the information for the board and
council. Next, Board member DeRoss asked about the bottom line. He
wanted to know what the minimum amount the LCTB would need if they
were to stay in operation and keep their certified status.
Apel-Sasse stated that the bureau is having a finance committee
meeting on Thursday, and that is something they intend to discuss.
DeRoss asked about wanting to know what the return on the county’s
investment would be, should they vote to give the LCTB money.
The discussion then turned to the LCTB’s director. It was shared
that the former tourism director Alice Roate submitted her
resignation and had already left. They then explained that they are
working with an interim director, but that that person is going to
be stepping down at the end of June. This means that if the LCTB
does not have a new director by the end of July, they will lose
their certified status.
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Nelson asked about a timeline
that the LCTB would need their money, and it was reiterated that
they would need it to hire a new director by the end of July.
Pickering shared that their previous director was making about
$45,000 per year, plus about a $2,000 stipend for health
insurance.
Welch then asked the members of the
LCTB to disclose how much money is in their several accounts.
Pickering shared that they have $27,500 in their main account,
$10,000 in The Mill Museum account, $5,000 in the Lincoln Initiative
account, and $89,500 in their savings account.
Watchel then got up to speak. She
stressed that many people come to Lincoln and Logan County from
around the world. She cited a group of tourists from Switzerland
that were in Lincoln recently who were travelling Route 66.
Next, Schmidt asked about a bill item that drew her attention. It
turns out that there was a bill of about $2,000 that was owed to a
lawyer from Springfield. This bill came from the formation of the
Alliance, which was the consolidation of the LCTB, the Chamber of
Commerce, and Main Street Lincoln. They paid this amount, but still
need to pay the lawyer another $2,500 in retainer fees for him to
continue to work for them.
Pickering then talked about changes
the LCTB is considering making going forward after Nelson asked
about this. They are considering completely overhauling their
bylaws. They are also wanting more representation on their board
from Lincoln and the smaller Logan County communities.
Councilman Parrott next brought up
the idea of having everyone go to the LCTB to seek funding for their
events. He stated that it would be easier than going to several
locations for funding and would take work off the city council and
county board’s plates. He also stated that both bodies could fund
events through the LCTB, giving them funding upon the condition that
the tourism bureau use certain amounts to cover certain events.
Bateman disagreed with this, stating that he likes being able to get
funding for events that he helps plan from several locations. If it
was all in one spot, then if they got turned down, they would not be
able to get any funding. He argued that each government entity
should be able to decide what they want to sponsor and what they do
not.
Board member Sanders then brought
up the fact that, even if the county and the city were to give
$25,000 each, plus the $40,000 or so that they would get from their
state grant, this would only leave the LCTB with around $90,000.
This would be a short term fix.
Peggy Bateman then stated that, if
someone were to be hired as the full-time director, their life may
be put in turmoil. According to Bateman, the person they hire is
likely to find out that they may not have a job in a year. If this
person chooses to relocate to Lincoln for the job, it could create
serious logistical problems for them if they have to leave the
director role for one reason or another.
Wessbecher shared that he was
worried they were rushing through these conversations too quickly,
and that more discussions were needed before a decision could be
made. Nelson made the suggestion of each body committing to two
years of funding at $50,000 a piece. They could then reevaluate
their commitment at the end of the two years, and then do so again
every two years after, so long as they choose to stay the course
after the first two years. Board member Conahan stated that he liked
the idea of having quarterly meetings with the LCTB. This would
increase communication and allow their decisions to be “proactive,
not reactive.” Conahan also stated that he received emails from
people in Hartsburg and Emden asking him to support this new plan
for the LCTB, so he stated that he intended to support it.
There was a bit more discussion
over Lincoln’s planning for the 100th anniversary of Route 66 next
year. Welch stated that he knows with this change in funding,
Lincoln is doing something different, but stressed that if Lincoln
succeeds, then the whole county will succeed. Shortly after, the
meeting was adjourned.
[Matt Boutcher | Photos by Nila Smith] |
