Festival Country reports record web traffic and Placer data; treasurer details recent collections and balances

Festival Country staff reported continued growth in web traffic and Placer analytics showing substantial visitation across the county, and the treasurer provided the board with recent collections and balances.

Ken (Festival Country staff) said the organization set a record average of 28,500 visits last year to its web properties and cited Placer analytics showing the county received about 4,200,000 visits from nonresidents. He said Downtown Franklin recorded 161,333 visits on the Placer report and that Franklin Fall Festival drew more than 20,000 visitors, including 7,900 from outside Johnson County and 259 from out of state.

A speaker identified in the meeting as Treasurer reported recent collections from the Johnson County treasurer's office of $96,731.70 for the referenced tax period, up from $84,997.78 for the same month in 2024. The treasurer reported an August checkbook balance of $580,048.95, followed by a September checkbook balance of $518,111.27 after presented expenses; expenses for the month of October presented to the board totaled $60,916.98. The treasurer said claims were scheduled to be paid following the board meeting; the detailed deposit and interest lines were posted to the board's Teamwork account for review.

Staff also told the board that the Indiana Landmarks/Main Street preserving historic places conference (the state Main Street conference) will be hosted in Franklin next year; presenters said that conference draw—about 350 to 400 attendees at recent events—would create opportunities for targeted tours and sponsorships and that staff will return with a sponsorship request in the coming months.

No board action was taken on these reports at the meeting; they were informational and scheduled for follow up as noted in staff slides.