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Chamber, CVB and EDC update: Food & Wine Festival plans and questions about HOT allocation and oversight
Summary
Chamber staff previewed a five-day Food & Wine Festival and requested repeat of prior HOT funding; the CVB and EDC described operations and raised questions about the current 5/7 HOT allocation and oversight, with council members asking for clearer budgeting and stronger county collaboration.
Leaders of the Chamber, the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVV/CVB) and the Economic Development Corporation used the workshop’s second half to review event plans and the organizations’ budgets, and to reopen a multi-year conversation about the city’s hotel-occupancy-tax (HOT) allocation.
Chamber representative Jim McCool told the council the Food & Wine Festival will expand to five days in October with a preview week in July and that the chamber intends to request the same HOT allocation the council granted last year. “We are going to a 5 day festival in, in October,” Jim said, and he told the council the chamber will formally request HOT funds at the Feb. 18 meeting.
Jim described key festival elements for 2025: a kickoff at the Albert Hotel, a black-tie barbecue at Becker Vineyards, a Friday wine auction moved from Saturday, a larger Austin Street street-dinner and a Sunday brunch to wrap the year. He said the chamber will hold prices steady and hopes to expand regional and national marketing in 2026–2027; the chamber also reported membership growth and nearly 100 ribbon cuttings last year.
Brady, the CVB representative, outlined the CVB’s role and funding and said his board believes the CVB is “nimble” as a 501(c)(6) and reports proposed budgets to the city and county. Brady confirmed the CVB’s annual request will be presented to the council and county in the spring; he said the CVB provides quarterly financial reports and that capital projects have been funded from HOT and reserves in recent years.
Several council members pressed for greater transparency and for a more consistent process around allocation and oversight. One council member asked whether the council should set a fixed annual allocation to the CVB to provide budgeting predictability; another asked for a clearer breakdown of what HOT dollars have funded, especially capital items and nonrecurring expenses.
Council members also raised the county’s share of HOT and urged more active county participation in joint priorities. “We fund 81% of their budget,” one council member said of the city’s contribution; members asked staff and CVB leadership to pursue stronger communication with county commissioners and to consider whether the long-standing 5/7 split of HOT remains appropriate.
Tim, representing the Economic Development Corporation, said the EDC follows the city’s visioning work and that his office has historically steered toward “managed” rather than uncontrolled growth. He said recruitment activity is possible if the council gives direction and resources, and he asked for clearer guidance if the council wants the EDC to pursue targeted business recruitment.
No formal funding decisions were made at the workshop. Councilmembers asked staff to schedule formal budget presentations by the CVB and EDC and to bring back clarifying financial detail on HOT collections, spending categories and reserve balances before the council acts on any change to funding allocations.
