(a) The convention and visitors bureau budget shall be prepared as a part of the budget of the city and as such, shall be under the control of the city council. Expenditures from hotel occupancy tax revenues may only be made pursuant to this section.
(b) Event funding formula. Events are programs and activities. Events may be funded annually for five years.
(1) The event funding amount is: the number of hotel rooms multiplied by $150.00, the product of which is then multiplied by 50 percent. The number of hotel rooms for the first year of an event is estimated. The number of hotel rooms for subsequent years is based on the actual hotel rooms booked as a result of the previous year's event.
(2) Event funding is capped at:
300+ room nights | $ 25,000.00 |
200—299 | $ 20,000.00 |
150—199 | $ 17,000.00 |
100—149 | $ 15,000.00 |
75—99 | $ 10,000.00 |
50—74 | $ 7,000.00 |
25—49 | $ 5,000.00 |
11 to 24 | $ 2,500.00 |
10 or less | $ 1,000.00 |
(3) Assistance may be obtained by events without the five-year limitation upon the following conditions: meeting the funding criteria, including THLA guidelines; the funding being used solely to rent city-owned and operated facilities; and with the amount of such rent shall being no more than $2,000.00. By motion or otherwise, city council or the CVB board may waive the deposit for such an event.
(c) Within the restrictions of state law, the budget, and the event funding formula in subsection (b), the convention and visitors bureau board may take official action that initiates a decision on behalf of the city to approve funding for a program or activity, in an amount less than $15,000.00, when such shall be drawn from hotel occupancy tax revenues.
(d) Within the restrictions of state law and the budget, the director of community services may take official action that initiates a decision on behalf of the city to enter into a contract for a good or a service, in an amount less than $15,000.00, when such shall be drawn from hotel occupancy tax revenues.
(e) A decision of the convention and visitors bureau board under subsection (c) shall become final only after five business days have elapsed after the board has taken such action, provided that city council takes no superseding action pursuant to this subsection. Subsequent to any official action taken by the convention and visitors bureau board under subsection (c), each member of city council shall be promptly notified. By motion, ordinance, or resolution at an official meeting, city council may amend, approve, or disapprove any decision by the convention and visitors bureau board made under subsection (c), and such action by city council shall supersede the decision of the convention and visitors bureau board, and shall constitute the city's final decision.
(f) City council may take final action on any expenditure of hotel occupancy tax revenues regardless of whether the convention and visitors bureau board has previously taken action on the matter.
(g) A decision by city council under subsections (e) or (f) related to funding a program or activity should be made pursuant to the event funding formula in subsection (b). A decision by city council under subsections (e) or (f) shall be made within the restrictions of state law.
(h) Any program or funding made, or contract entered into under this section shall be under the name of the City of Big Spring.
(i) No single program, funding, or contract committing revenues from the hotel occupancy tax with a duration of more than five years may be agreed to on behalf of the city without prior action by city council.
(Prior Code, § 7-14; Ord. of 2-24-2004; Ord. of 6-22-2010; Ord. of 9-25-2014; Ord. of 6-9-2015; Ord. No. 049-2021, § 2, 11-9-2021)
Editor's note(s)—Section 2 of Ord. No. 049-2021, adopted November 9, 2021, changed the title of § 32-65 to read as set out herein. Formerly, § 32-65 was entitled "Convention and visitors bureau board". The user's attention is directed to § 2-315 for similar provisions.