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Hayward Lakes tourism director urges Sawyer County to maintain room-tax support
Summary
Mindy Simons, director of the Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau, asked the finance committee to continue county funding and explained room-tax use and the bureau’s local economic impact figures for 2024.
Mindy Simons, director of the Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau, told the Sawyer County Finance Committee that continued county support is important to sustain tourism promotion and help local businesses.
Simons said Sawyer County tourism generated about $151,000,000 in economic impact in 2024, produced roughly $10,500,000 in state and local taxes and supported about 960 local jobs. "Without tourism, each Wisconsin household would pay an additional $678 in taxes," she said.
Simons summarized the bureau’s history and funding: the Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau formed in February 2003 after a merger and retained Sawyer County in its incorporated name. She said a 2017 county resolution encouraged municipalities to adopt room-tax ordinances to fund the bureau, but only a handful of municipalities have done so: the committee was told six of the 21 municipalities in Sawyer County have a room tax ordinance and some municipalities direct proceeds to local groups such as the Nelson Lake Resort Association and the Hayward Area Chamber of Commerce.
Simons told the committee the bureau follows Wisconsin law on allowable uses of room tax revenue, saying room-tax funds are used only for advertising, promotional materials, convention and sports recruitment, visitor services and destination development. "Our room tax funds are used only for advertising, promotional materials, convention and sport recruitment, visitor services, and destination development," she said. She added the organization does not use room-tax dollars for payroll, general operating costs, insurance or utilities.
Simons asked the county to consider a $50,000 investment to the bureau as part of the county’s contribution toward tourism promotion, saying the payment is a small fraction of the countywide economic impact from tourism and helps the bureau compete with neighboring counties that provide larger county funding.
Discussion vs. decision: this was a public comment and informational presentation to the finance committee; no formal county action on funding was taken at the meeting.
