Gage County supervisors table visitor-grant approvals amid tourism-director uncertainty

The Gage County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 3 voted to table consideration of new visitor improvement grant applications for two weeks while county leaders seek clarity about who will serve as the county's tourism director and how the chamber of commerce intends to operate.

Board Chair and supervisors expressed concern that the local tourism office and the chamber are in flux after recent staff departures and a merger discussion the board said is creating uncertainty. "There is just a lot of uncertainty, and it's not fair to these organizations to apply for something without the proper channels to go through," Supervisor Adams said during the discussion.

The board heard that the visitors committee has approved items on its table but that there currently is no long-term tourism director in place to administer the grant process. Several supervisors said the lodging-tax process and related grants have historically been administered through a tourism director or chamber staff, and that Nebraska statute governing how local tourism dollars are handled was cited during the discussion as a reason to identify who will hold the tourism director responsibilities.

Supervisor Adams moved to place a temporary hold on new applications; the motion was seconded by Supervisor Haxby. After further discussion about whether a hold might delay worthwhile projects, Supervisor Lytle moved to table the item for two weeks; Supervisor Jurgens seconded the tabling motion. The board voted 7-0 to table the matter for two weeks, and members asked that the county communicate the tabling to the chamber and seek clarification about the chamber's interim leadership and plans.

Supervisors said the tabling is intended to be short-term and procedural rather than a permanent ban on grants. "If something changes next meeting, we bring it back," Supervisor Adams said as he described the goal of the delay.

The board also discussed whether a temporary county-managed tourism director should be appointed or whether the chamber's interim director could continue in that role until an organizational structure is clarified. Several members asked the chairman to contact chamber leaders during the two-week period and report back to the board.

No final change to any previously approved grants was made; the action taken was a motion to table new applications pending follow-up. The board asked staff to notify the chamber of the tabling and to bring more information to the next meeting.