|
Finance Committee will recommend
$25,000 in support for Logan County Tourism Bureau
[May 15, 2025]
Tuesday evening the members of
the Logan County Board Finance Committee met for their monthly
meeting in the blue room of the Logan County Safety Complex. Three
of the four committee members were present including Chair Kathy
Schmidt, Vice-Chair Joesph Kuhlman and Lance Conahan. County board
member Gil Turner was also present along with County Treasurer Penny
Thomas. Representing the Logan County Sheriff’s office was Rod Boyd
and Mike Block.
Early in the evening the committee heard from Conahan and Kuhlman
about recent developments at the Logan County Tourism Bureau and
heard a request for funding for the bureau.
Conahan and Kuhlman shared that the city has said it will match
funding with the county LCTB up to $25,000 from the Lincoln
Hotel/Motel tax. The stipulation is that the city will only support
the LCTB if the county also supports it.
The two committee members are also assigned members to the LCTB
board of directors. They reported that the bureau is going to be
moving out of the Lincoln Depot, and will establish its headquarters
at the Mill on Route 66 Museum. There will still be a need for a
director plus the bureau will need funding for the subgrants it
gives out each year.
Conahan suggested that the finance committee recommend to the full
board $40,000 in funding for the bureau. He said this amount along
with the $25,000 maximum match from the city would give the LCTB
$65,000 to pay a director and establish a budget for the sub-grants.
The LCTB is a Certified Visitors Bureau, and with the money to pay a
director, they will be able to maintain that status thus earning an
annual grant through state tourism, which is about $40,000. The
$40,000 can be used only partially for wages with the rest going to
advertising. None of the state grant can be used for sub-grants.
[to top of second column] |
Conahan said that
if the county does give money, it needs to specify what the
money is to be used for. He said the county could say that so
many dollars were for wages and so many dollars for sub-grants.
He added he felt it was important to maintain the LCTB because
it will serve the communities outside of Lincoln and promote
Logan County on the whole.
It was also mentioned that because the 100th anniversary of
Route 66 next year and Scott McCoy has been retained by the city
as a consultant for promoting the Mother Road in Lincoln, he
might also be retained by the LCTB to expand the promotion into
other impacted communities in the county.
Though Conahan suggested $40,000,
Kuhlman thought the committee should reduce that amount and give the
same amount as the city’s maximum match, $25,000.
The committee agreed with Kuhlman and set the recommendation for the
Thursday workshop meeting at $25,000.
Nila Smith
 |
