Council approves $30,000 for Logan County Tourism Bureau, requests past-spending details and contingencies

The Lincoln City Council voted to contribute $30,000 to the Logan County Tourism Bureau on June 16, 2025, contingent on an equal or greater matching contribution from Logan County. Alderman Clemons moved the measure and Alderman Downs seconded; the motion passed with one abstention from Alderman Bateman.

Council members said they expect more detailed financial reporting from the bureau covering how roughly $200,000 in city hotel/motel-tax funding was spent last year and proposed contingencies tied to future funding.

Alderman Clemons, the motion maker, presented the requested contribution and said the bureau had provided a projected budget for how it would spend future city and county funds. He said the projection assumes the bureau could retain the mill property and that, if so, it would use merchandise sales and savings to cover operating costs including insurance and utilities. Clemons recommended adding contingencies, including requiring the county match the city contribution, asking the bureau to downsize its board, and giving the city or county a right of first refusal for the mill if the bureau later transfers it.

Alderman Anderson said he would prefer to table the vote until the council received a detailed accounting of the previous year’s expenditures, asking specifically for documentation of the roughly $200,000 in city-originated spending. Anderson moved to table but did not formalize a motion, and the council proceeded to vote.

Alderman Bateman said he would abstain because an organization he runs could be a potential grant recipient from the bureau and he did not want a conflict of interest; he also criticized the bureau’s prior outreach and said groups seeking small grants had not been informed. Bateman questioned past expenditures on items such as an electric vehicle charger in Atlanta, Ill., which he said did not demonstrably generate overnight stays.

Council members and staff said quarterly reports and an audit were available and that staff would forward more detailed financial and expense reports to council members during the week. The mayor and staff noted the bureau recently changed leadership and said they expected reporting and operations to improve.

The council’s approval is explicitly contingent on Logan County approving an equal or greater contribution; the county was reported to be considering the match in its own meetings, but county approval had not occurred at the time of the council vote.

Notes by the council about possible conditions for future funding included requiring a smaller board for the bureau, formal first-right-of-refusal language if the bureau transfers the mill property, and receipt of a detailed expense report from the bureau before further action.