Chamber’s reimbursement falls short of expenses
Challenges in implementing the Jefferson city council’s three-tiered policy for distributing hotel/motel tax revenues were at the center of comments by Greene County Chamber treasurer Nikki Uebel at the Jefferson city council meeting Tuesday.
Reimbursement to the Chamber from the fund was on the council’s consent agenda. Uebel spoke during the open forum portion of the meeting.
Since the council adopted the new policy last January, the Chamber has received only $3,680 in reimbursement. The amount in the consent agenda was $8,515, bringing the total to $12,195 for the calendar year (the Chamber’s budget year). The Chamber has submitted more than $38,000 in tourism-related expenses for possible reimbursement.
At the meeting Uebel questioned what consideration had been given information she provided to the tourism tax force appointed by mayor Craig Berry a year ago to develop the new policy.
The new policy caps at $30,000 the amount the Chamber will receive each year, sets aside up to $20,000 for the proposed Welcome Center, and makes the remainder of the estimated $80,000 annual revenue available to qualifying community groups. The council awarded $26,000 to six community groups last month in Tier 3 funding.
Members of the task force were Berry, council members Lisa Jaskey and Larry Teeples, and city administrator Mike Palmer. Uebel said she met with them last November after a draft of the new policy proposed the Chamber would be reimbursed only 45 percent of an expense that promoted Greene County as a whole or any business (such as Deal’s Orchard) not within the Jefferson city limits. That would include bus tour promotion and any advertising (like The Iowan magazine and the business/tourism guide). The 45 percent figure represents the population of Jefferson compared to the entire county.
Uebel, as suggested by Jaskey, provided a different calculation that considered the number of businesses in Jefferson compared to the rest of the county and other factors, not just population. That calculation was 84 percent. Uebel said she was told the task force would meet again. She said Tuesday night she has never heard back from them and asked if there was such a meeting.
Teeples said he had not seen her information. The policy adopted in January makes no mention of a percentage reimbursement. The amount in the council’s consent agenda reflected only 45 percent of costs submitted for reimbursement, as determined by city staff.
Uebel also questioned Tier 2 funding for the year. The Chamber incurred $65,000 in debt for exterior work on the building done three years ago and is still paying on that debt, as well as utility bills, snow removal, and the like.
No disbursement was made from Tier 2 this year, either to the Chamber or to Thomas Jefferson Gardens, which is now the designated recipient. City staff was unable to say where the $20,000 for FY 16 will be used, but that it could not be allocated to either group to cover expenses already incurred.
After more than 20 minutes of discussion, the council agreed that it could reconsider the percentage of reimbursement on the expenses approved, after the task force meets to review Uebel’s justification for a higher amount.
After all agenda items were covered Berry appointed council member Gary Von Ahsen to the task force in Jaskey’s place.
