Warren County’s tourism committee voted to fund five long-running "signature" events at set levels for three consecutive years, approving contracts that county officials said will help organizers plan earlier and attract partners. The committee approved annual awards for the Adirondack Balloon Festival ($100,000), Lake George Winter Carnival ($75,000), the World’s Largest Garage Sale ($60,000), the Adirondack National Car Show ($50,000) and the American Motorcycle Rally ($50,000).

The funding is reimbursement-based: event organizers must spend funds and submit invoices and proof of payment to receive awards. "These are long standing events, that have been a staple to the economic drivers of tourism," Heather, tourism staff, told the committee while presenting the resolution. She said the awards are presented as "signature" events and that the county has developed a new job code to fund them.

Supporters said the predictable three-year commitment will reduce year-to-year volatility in awards and allow events to plan earlier. "Some of the businesses who run these events said it's difficult to conduct an event when the amount of money that we're getting from the county seems to fluctuate year to year," Supervisor John Patchett said during debate, arguing that stability was a major driver for the proposal.

Committee members also asked how the new amounts were set, and tourism staff said increases reflect reported receipts, budgets submitted by organizers, and growth in attendance and overnight stays. Heather added that if an event changes significantly during the three-year term, organizers may return to the committee to request additional funds or amendments.

The committee amended the motion to authorize the county attorney to prepare a standard contract tailored to each signature-event recipient rather than using the county’s existing tourist and convention development agreement. The committee said the new contracts will set reporting requirements and the reimbursement process. The motion was made by Supervisor Patchett, seconded by Supervisor Mulino, and approved by voice vote. "The initial intent of this was to secure this funding for a 3 year period," Heather said when the committee clarified the contract term.

Committee members repeatedly emphasized the awards are reimbursement-based and require post-event documentation. Tourism staff said events that do not submit required receipts will not receive full reimbursement. Several supervisors said the measure also aims to protect the county’s ability to retain events that might otherwise relocate to neighboring counties.

What comes next: the county attorney will draft the event contracts and work with tourism staff on reporting language. The committee’s change does not remove the committee’s ability to revisit awards in subsequent years, and supervisors said future boards could change policy by resolution.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the tourism funding agenda item and related debate; direct quotes are attributed to those speakers as recorded in the meeting transcript.