Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-027 - TourismBill No. 2008-27 Ordinance No. 2008-27 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING AND APPROVING THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE, MISSOURI TO IMPLEMENT THE TOURISM ENHANCEMENT GRANT PROGRAM FY08 PROGRAM GUIDELINES WHEREAS, the City of Riverside (the "City") desires to increase development and marketing of events, activities and projects that will increase direct visitor expenditures vwithin the City. WHEREAS, the City has developed Tourism Enhancement Grant FY08 Program Guidelines ("Program Guidelines' designed to advance these goals; and WHEREAS, the City finds that implementing the Program Guidelines is for a public purpose and is to be advisable and.in the City's best interests for the promotion of the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the City; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE TT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE, MISSOURI, AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. This Ordinance is intended and is hereby determined and declared to be necessary to accomplish and serve the public purpose of promoting and increasing tourism within the City of Riverside. Section 2. The City of Riverside shall implement the provisions set forth in the Program Guidelines, to be substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A. Section 3. The Mayor, the City Administrator, the City Attorney and other appropriate City officials are hereby authorized to take any and all actions as may be deemed necessary or convenient to carry out and comply with the intent of this Ordinance and to execute and deliver for and on behalf of the City all certificates, instruments, agreements and other documents, as may be necessary or convenient to perform all matters herein authorized. Section 4. This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage and approval. K~ Passed this o./ day of February, 2008. May r Kathleen L. Rose A E O C' y Clerk City of Riverside, Missouri Tourism Enhancement Grant Program FY08 Program Guidelines Approved: --/--/08 Page 1 of 8 City of Riverside, Missouri Tourism Enhancement Grant Program FY08 Program Guidelines Table of Contents Title 1. Background: Tourism Tax Fund and the Tourism Enhancement Grant Program 3 2. Program Objectives 3 3. Available Funding 4 4. Applicant Eligibility 4 5. Applicant Certification 5 6. Application Process 6 7. Eligible Expenses 7 8. Ineligible Expenses, Exceptions and Exclusions 7 9. Reimbursement Procedures 8 Approved: --/--/08 Page 2 of 8 rt~ Guidelines 1. Commercial Grant Program a. Tourism Enhancement Grant Program A portion of the Tourism Tax Fund will be utilized to establish and operate a reimbursement program created by the City of Riverside, Missouri to support development and marketing of events, activities and projects that will increase direct visitor expenditures within the City of Riverside. b. Tourism Enhancement Grant Committee • The City of Riverside Commercial Grant Committee members shall be comprised of the following seven (7) areas of expertise: 1) The Committee Chair will be a member of the Tourism Commission by majority vote of the Tourism Commission 2) A representative of the lodging industry 3) A representative of the attraction industry 4) A representative of the retail industry 5) A representative of the dining or catering industry 6) A representative of the City of Riverside Park Board 7) A Riverside citizen-at-large • Members of the Tourism Enhancement Grant Committee will be appointed for a term of three years; but, of the members first appointed, two shall be appointed for a term of one year, two shall be appointed for a term of two years, and three shall be appointed for a term of three years. Members of the commission may serve no more than two consecutive terms. The members will serve without compensation. 2. Program 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 b. Goals Through disbursement of Tourism Tax monies, the Riverside, Missouri Tourism Commission will: • Increase / the number offirst-time visitors to Riverside / the number of return trips of current visitors Approved: --/--/08 Page 3 of 8 r / 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. • Consistently track and report Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) [lodging indicators such as occupancy rates, average daily rates, revenue per available rooms, retail sales tax collection and event attendance]. 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 no later than July 31't of each year. Annual Tourism Tax Fund revenue will be allotted to three funding pools: 1) 30% will fund the Tourism Enhancement Grant Program 2) 20% will fund short-term (less than one-year) special projects at the discretion of the Tourism Commission 3) 50% will fund long-term (more than one-year) special and/or capital projects at the discretion of the Tourism Commission b. Unawarded Funds Any Tourism Tax Fund revenue not awarded in categories 1) and 2) in Item 3.a. above will NOT be carried over in their specific categories, but will, instead, be rolled into category 3) of Item 3.a. 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. d. Minimum and Maximum Funding Requests Requests for funding must be a minimum of $1,000 and a maximum of $10,000. 4. Applicant Eligibility Eligible applicants must be: • not-for-profit • non-religious • non-political organizations • divisions of government located in the service area (defined as the City of Riverside or the County of Platte). Approved: --/--/08 Page 4 of 8 T 5. Applicant Certification Prior to completing and submitting an application for funding, potential applicants shall submit an Applicant Certification Request. a. The following documents are required for Applicant Certification: • Completed Applicant Certification Form • List of all officers and board members including employer information • Dated and signed copy of Board By-Laws • Organization Goal Statement • Organization's organizational chart • Current Certificate of Corporate Good Standing from the Missouri Secretary of State (not required of units of government) • Documentation of matching funds from other sources (award letters, letter of donation or credit from source, etc.) Additional documentation may be required at the discretion of the Tourism Tax Evaluation Committee. • CPA letter of certification and most recent year annual financial statement • Copies of Summary Reports from projects previously awarded funding from the City of Riverside Tourism Tax Fund • A summary (not to exceed one page) of the intended project application • Proof of ability to obtain event liability insurance (letter from insurance company) in an amount of at least $2,000,000. • (NOTE: A Certificate of Insurance naming the City of Riverside as "additional insured" in an amount of at least $2,000,000) b. Applicant Certification Submission Deadline Completed Applicant Certification Request forms and all required attachments must be received by the City of Riverside Economic Development Director's office no later than July 31 of each year. Faxed or emailed documents will not be considered. c. Certification Approval or Disapproval Submitted Applicant Certification Request documents will be evaluated for completeness and eligibility by the City of Riverside Economic Development Director office. Results will be reported to the Tourism Enhancement Grant Committee no later than August 15~' of each year. The Tourism Enhancement Grant Committee will: • Review the Economic Development Director's evaluation and recommendations • Approve or recommend re-consideration of Applicant Certification Requests Mail approval or disapproval letters to potential applicants no later than August 31st of each year Approved: --/--/08 Page 5 of 8 6. Application Process a. Application Deadline Approved applicants must complete the Tourism Enhancement Grant Application and prepare all required support documentation. Those completed applications and documents must be received by the Riverside Economic Development Director's office no later than September 30`~ of each year. • The Tourism Enhancement Grant Committee will report its completed evaluation to the Tourism Commission for submission to the Riverside Board of Aldermen no later than November 30'" of each year. • The Riverside Board of Aldermen will vote to approve or disapprove of the Tourism Commission's recommendations no later than the third Monday in January of the following year. b. Scored Applications Applications will be ranked from highest to lowest score. Fuil funding will be awarded beginning with the highest scoring application, second-highest next, etc. In the event approved applications requests exceed funds available, the first approved application for which full funding is not available, will have the option to revise their project to match available funds or may withdraw their application without penalty. Scoring Component Points Possible 1) Supports goals of the Tourism Commission 20 2) Documented potential for positive return on investment 20 3) The project is clearly explained 20 4) Key Performance Indicators are clearly identified and goals are measurable 10 5) Project is a new or expanded project 10 6) Project Manager(s) is/are identified and demonstrate the potential to successfully complete the project 10 7) Project costs are reasonable and well- Researched 05 8) Matching funds are clearly identified and availability of funds are well-documented 05 TOTAL POTENTIAL POINTS *100 A minimum of 70 points must be earned for funding consideration. *The Tourism Enhancement Grant Committee Approved: --/--/08 Page 6 of 8 rtr reserves the right to deduct a maximum of 10 points for funding requests from applicants who have not demonstrated the ability to successfully complete or fund previous project. 7. Eligible Expenses • Advertising • Collateral Material Design (limited to original work not to exceed 25% of production costs) • Printing • Facility Rental • Equipment Rental • Security • Permits • Eventlnsurance • Exhibit Rentals • Costume Rental • Entertainment • CPA Expenses • Research • Trophies/Awards • Publicity 8. Ineligible Expenses, Exceptions and Exclusions • Postage • Equipment Purchase • Catering • Telephone/Long Distance • Ofgce Supplies • Travel Expenses (transportation, lodging, meals, toll and fees • Administrative Costs (in-house orout-of-house) • Clerical Activities • Consultant Fees • Advance Payments of Any Kind • Alcoholic Beverages of Any Kind • Capitol Improvement Costs • Contracted Labor Costs • Cost of Promotional Items for Resale • Costs for otherwise eligible materials that contain (or appear to contain) paid advertising • Lobbying Expenses • Membership Fees or Dues • Activities of homes associations or organizations • Projects not open to the public Approved: --/--/08 Page 7 of 8 ~' 9. Reimbursement Procedures The Tourism Enhancement Grant Program is a REIMBURSEMENT program. The Applicant is responsible for incurring 100% of project costs. a. Vendor Invoices • Vendor invoices must be billed to the applicant. • Vendor invoices must be paid by check from the applicant's bank account. • Vendor invoices must be paid within the annual Tourism Enhancement Grant Program year (January 1 thru December 31 ). • Vendor invoices must be paid for services/products of an approved project occurring within the Tourism Enhancement Grant Program year (January 1 thru December 31). b. Proof of Payment • Reimbursements will be processed by the Riverside Economic Development Director's ofi•ice and presented to the Tourism Enhancement Grant Committee for approval or disapproval of payment. • The applicant must provide a copy of each paid invoice PLUS a copy of the front and back of the accompanying CANCELLED check. • In addition, samples of completed components of the approved project (when applicable) such as original ads, photos of billboard, media releases, etc. must accompany the invoice and cancelled check copies. c. Final Payment Final payment will be processed ONLY upon completion of the approved project AND submission of the Project Summary Report. ##### Approved: --/--/08 Page 8 of 8