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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-06-10 Tourism PacketCITY OF .R1VER5I MISSOURI Upstream from ordinary. TOURISM COMMISSION MEETING RIVERSIDE CITY HALL 2950 III VIVION ROAD RIVERSIDE, E SIDE, MISSOURI 641 TENTATIVE AGENDA JUNE 10 2013 6:00 P.M. I t Call to order 2. Roil call I FY 2012_2013 Tourism Fund Budget 4 Approval of Grant Process for 2013 -2014 5: Fair Based Productions Discussion 6 . Adjournment ST: Posted 06/07/2013 at 12:45 p.. Director of Administration Tourism Commission Funding Guidelines Adopted by the Board of Aldermen DRAFT 1. Background a. Tourism Tax Fund The enabling legislation for Riverside's bed tax specifies what a bed tax is and how it shall be levied. But the legislation is not specific on how funds will be used; only specifying that, "There is a separate Tourism Tax Fund Commission into which all tourism tax revenues shall be deposited and from which only eligible expenditures for promoting tourism shall be made." From State Statute RSMo 67.1363: "The revenue received from the tax shall be deposited in a special fund and used solely to promote tourism. b. Tourism Tax Commission Upon adoption of the tourism sales tax, there shall be established a Tourism Tax Fund Commission to consist of five members appointed by the governing body of the city. Of these members, one shall be a representative of the hotel and motel industry and two shall be active in the tourism industry; the remaining members of the commission will be members of local general business interests of the city. All members shall be residents of Platte County. One member of the Board of Aldermen shall serve as liaison in a non - voting capacity. Members of the Tourism Commission will be appointed for a term of three years and may serve no more than two consecutive terms. The members will serve without compensation. c. Conflict of Interest All members, including those who are active in the tourism industry, hotel /motel industry and local business, must at the time proposals for funding are being judged indicate if they have a conflict of interest in regard to any of the proposals. It is the member's responsibility to point out any conflict or potential conflict of interest that is occurring or may occur. If the conflict of interest does occur, the conflicted members must excuse themselves from the area of discussion until the comment period is completed. Conflicted members may not comment or vote on the proposal. 2. Tourism Fund Objectives a. Mission Statement The mission of the Riverside, Missouri Tourism Commission shall be to expand and enhance the tourism industry to make the City of Riverside one of the region's premier destinations through the use of the Tourism Tax Fund Page 2of4 b. Goals Through disbursement of Tourism Tax monies, the Riverside, Missouri Tourism Commission will: • Increase ✓ the number of first -time visitors to Riverside ✓ the number of return trips of current visitors ✓ the length of visitor stays • Generate significant research -based return -on- investment for Riverside's residents and businesses • Expand the visiting public's awareness of Riverside's unique history, events, activities and amenities. 3. Available Funding a. Funding Pools The City of Riverside's fiscal year is July 1 -June 30. The City of Riverside will determine the amount of Tourism Tax Funding available for distribution in the upcoming fiscal year no later than June 30 of the current year. b. Unawarded Funds Any Tourism Tax Fund revenue not awarded will be rolled into the Tourism Tax General Fund and may be allocated in future years. c. Reserve Funds 10% of each year's Tourism Tax Fund revenue will be held in escrow as an emergency reserve. The total of reserve funds shall not exceed $100,000. The fund will be utilized to cover outstanding obligations in the event there is a significant decrease in the revenue stream. Reserve funds may also be used to fund projects deemed as exceptional by the Tourism Commission and Board of Aldermen. Reserve funds may be accessed by a vote of the Tourism Commission and subsequent approval by the Board of Aldermen. 4. Applicant Eligibility Eligible applicants must be: • not - for - profit or divisions of government located in the service area • non - religious • non - political organizations Organizations that do not meet the not - for - profit criteria, but feel they have a very exceptional project, may appear before the Riverside Tourism Commission for consideration of funding directly from the Commission without having to indirectly apply for funding through a not - for - profit entity. The request must be submitted in writing and detail why the organization feels the project is so exceptional as to be funded without the umbrella of a not - for - profit entity. In addition, only events that are open to the public will be considered for funding. City of Riverside Tourism Commission Funding Guidelines Adopted by the Board of Aldermen XX -XX -XX Page 3of4 5. Funding Process a. Process 1. There shall be one primary funding cycle annually. 2. Applicants can apply for funding up to one calendar year in advance of their event date. 3. All requests for funding will be given equal consideration during each funding cycle. Any projects brought to the Tourism Commission outside of this process are not guaranteed funding consideration. 4. All applications will be evaluated on their own merit annually. All reports from previously funded activities or past activities requesting expansion funding, in addition to new application packets will be reviewed by the Tourism Commission. 5. Applicants may be asked to make a five - minute presentation before one or both bodies concerning project funding. Applicants will be notified at least one week in advance of their presentation time and date. 6. Application Process Schedule RFP Released September RFP Due October Tourism Commission Review By November Award Notices Mailed December Project to be Completed By December 31 the following year b. Request Components Organizations requesting Tourism funding should submit a letter of request that includes the following information: • Background of organization submitting the request; • Project purpose and description (including budget overview); • Information about how this project meets Tourism goals; and • Request for sponsorship including specific dollar amount requested and details regarding what benefit the City will receive from providing funding. c. Evaluation Applications will be reviewed by the Tourism Commission and evaluated on items such as: • Supports goals of the Tourism Commission • Potential for positive return on investment • Completeness and thoroughness of application, including budget portion In addition, applications will be considered in relation to the other projects that have received funding in that fiscal year in order to promote a diverse offering. City of Riverside Tourism Commission Funding Guidelines Adopted by the Board of Aldermen XX -XX -XX Page 4 of 4 d. Minimum Funding Requests Requests for funding must be a minimum of $500. e. Funding Procedures Once funding has been approved for a project and any required reservation and deposit payments have been paid in full, the City will issue a check to the organization and execute a' contract for services.' 6. Final Report Projects receiving Tourism Funds must complete a final report and submit it to the Tourism Commission within 60 days of project completion. The report will include the following details: - The outcome of the project or event - Report on the measures of success (qualitative and quantitative) collected - Budget overview - If the project will be repeated in the future and if it is anticipated that Tourism Funds will be requested 7. Sponsorship Recognition The City of Riverside must be identified as a sponsor for all projects receiving Tourism Funds. The City reserves to right to request approval on any piece that utilizes the City logo or name in order to preserve the integrity of the City of Riverside brand. City of Riverside Tourism Commission Funding Guidelines Adopted by the Board of Aldermen XX -XX -XX