By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Carter County Tourism has paid all of their outstanding invoices and commitments, board president and interim treasurer Chris Perry told the group on Monday. However, despite being caught up on bills, the organization is suspending advertising and other spending decisions until after the first of the year. Perry told the board that he had been in contact with Lexington based CBS affiliate WKYT and advised them that tourism will be “putting things on hold until the end of the year.”
Perry also said he had shared copies of all checks and deposits made since he took over as treasurer via email to the board members and the judge executive.
The board also discussed recent projects and attempts to collect unpaid transient taxes from campgrounds and others not remitting the tax in the county, including the hotels located in Grayson. Perry said that the hotels located in Grayson, which are all owned by the same company, haven’t paid their transient taxes in more than a year. These taxes are typically added onto a guest’s bill and collected by the hotels, which are then legally required to remit the collected taxes to the tourism boards in the city of Grayson and the county.
Robert “Sleepy” Porter thanked the board for their support of the Country on Tygart and Orange Army Bluegrass Festival, and asked the board to consider supporting them again next year. He told the board the event had been a resounding success, drawing music fans from across the country and raising $40,000 to help cancer patients with their various non-medical related expenses.
Perry told Porter that while they aren’t making any financial commitments at this time, the Orange Army events have the support of tourism. He further stated that events that have a proven track record of drawing visitors to the county – like the Orange Army Bluegrass Festival, Shriner Bluegrass Festival, and County Fair – will be the first to earn the board’s commitment once they have a better grasp of their financial situation.
The board also heard a fair update, with fair board vice president and tourism board member Jill York telling the board the fair set a new Saturday night attendance record, thanks in large part to the tourism funded rodeo event. York said the fair drew more than 2,800 people on Saturday; though that number doesn’t include “fence jumpers” and others who found free entry to the event. Nearly 1,800 turned out on Friday for the demolition derby and other events, with an official head count of 6,533 visitors over the course of the entire week.
York attributes the attendance, particularly the large Saturday crowd, to tourism’s sponsorship of the rodeo. York said while county fairs typically draw their attendees from local communities and those in neighboring counties, the fair this year had numerous attendees from Ohio and West Virginia many of whom said they made the trip specifically for the rodeo after hearing advertisements for the event.
The board also heard updates on the Shriner Bluegrass Show – whose furthest travelled attendee this year came from Bermuda – and the upcoming Fall Y’all vendor fair. In addition to live music entertainment, Fall Y’all organizer Lisa Messer Conley explained, they will have the typical games and competitions. This year that includes a new game, the “human fruit machine,” where a trio of people grab random fruits when prompted by the game player. If those fruits match the player wins a prize. Think of it as a live action (and very silly) spin on the classic Las Vegas slot machine experience, Conley explained.
In new business the board announced that they have found a replacement on the board for former treasurer Renee Stewart, who stepped down after the recent financial issues came to light. Marilea Fugitt, from the judge executive’s office, will fill one of the open slots.
The board also discussed current term expirations and limits, and discussed resetting the initial process to ensure a full board with staggered replacement of board members on a three year cycle. This helps assure that there is always someone with experience on the board to help guide any newly appointed members.
Under the current plan Carl Burton, Jill York and Chris Perry will have their terms expire in one year’s time – though they may be reappointed at that time as well. The terms for Von Perry and Kara Johnson will expire in two years. Jonathan Lewis and Marilea Fugitt will serve three years before their terms are set to expire.
After discussing board member terms the board entered into executive session for purposes of discussing pending litigation. No action was taken, and the meeting was adjourned shortly after a return to regular session.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
