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Bluff City leaders discuss county tourism dollars and formalizing nonprofit funding requests
Summary
During a Bluff City budget workshop, officials discussed potential county hotel/motel tourism funds, proposals to reassign local line items to tourism revenue, and creating a formal application and review process for nonprofit funding.
Bluff City officials reviewed options to add a line item for tourism revenue and to formalize how the city gives money to local nonprofits during a budget work session.
The discussion centered on possible county hotel/motel tax money and whether the board should reallocate savings from cuts to local nonprofit donations into a tourism line item. One councilmember said the county finance staff had indicated efforts to “get Bluff City part of tourism money,” and that the city could receive funds “somewhere between $12,000 and $15,000,” although the exact amount was not specified in the meeting.
Board members debated two uses for any county tourism allocation: (1) treating the money as new revenue to be spent on tourism promotion and museum support, and (2) repurposing local savings (from reduced donations to nonprofits) into a city-controlled tourism appropriation. Several members said they preferred keeping the funding in a designated revenue line for tourism to allow later appropriation decisions.
The board also raised concerns about past practice of making small, recurring donations to local nonprofits without consistent documentation. One participant said only “one of these organizations” had provided a written request, and recommended creating a uniform application and annual vetting process so the council can confirm nonprofit status, meeting schedules, and compliance before awarding funds.
Council members suggested the review should verify: nonprofit status and standing with the IRS and state, evidence of active meetings and programming, and whether the organization’s current activities match the purpose for which the city previously provided funds. Several members said the new process should require written requests and documentation before funds are approved.
No formal vote was taken on creating the tourism line item or on adopting a nonprofit application process during the workshop; the items remained under discussion and subject to further staff follow-up and inclusion in the draft budget for later action.
