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Avery County tourism board seeks full-time director, plans county employment and reimbursement through occupancy tax
Summary
The Avery County Tourism Development Authority outlined plans to hire a full-time executive director funded by occupancy-tax receipts, asking commissioners to help form a search committee and clarifying spending limits on infrastructure.
The Avery County Tourism Development Authority asked the Board of Commissioners on Oct. 6 to support creation of a search committee and the hire of a full-time executive director who would be a county employee paid from occupancy-tax (TDA) receipts.
Board members who spoke to commissioners described the director role as responsible for strategic marketing, media placements, budget oversight and working with the county finance office to ensure compliance with occupancy-tax spending rules. The TDA told commissioners the new hire would be a county employee paid through a reimbursement arrangement so the employee would receive county benefits including health insurance and state retirement.
The TDA said it will start advertising the position at the end of the month and hopes to have someone hired before the end of the year so the director can begin planning marketing and events for 2026. The board asked that one or two commissioners join a search committee alongside TDA board members and a county resident not on the board.
Commissioners and TDA members emphasized two recurring constraints: (1) state rules limit how occupancy-tax (lodging/occupancy) dollars may be spent, and (2) only up to one-third of the TDA’s annual budget may be used on infrastructure-related projects. The TDA said it had prepared a job description and wanted a candidate experienced in tourism and familiar with the regulatory requirements for spending occupancy-tax funds.
County staff member Caleb (finance office) told commissioners the reimbursement structure would allow the director to be a county employee while the position would be funded by TDA revenues.
The Tourism Development Authority said it plans to promote agritourism, Christmas-tree–choose-and-cut businesses, outdoor recreation and to expand marketing beyond Banner Elk, Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain to other parts of the county. The board did not vote on any hiring motion at the meeting; the TDA requested commissioner participation in the search committee and said it would bring formal requests forward as needed.
Provenance: Discussion introduced at 487.295–539.415 and continued through 924.775–949.21497.
Ending: Commissioners expressed general support and invited the TDA to return with formal requests and the search-committee membership once established.
