Gadsden County TDC tables FY25-26 budget, seeks itemized marketing breakdown; approves first-phase payment to contractor

The Gadsden County Tourism Development Council voted Thursday to table adoption of its fiscal year 2025–26 budget and asked the county nd the council—ontractor to provide an itemized breakdown of marketing expenditures before final approval. The council also approved the first-phase payment under its current marketing contract so vendor work can continue.

Council members cited confusion over how a $150,000 marketing contract and related line items were shown in the draft budget, including two $30,000 entries that members feared might be double-counted and several small annual fees listed separately. "Would it be okay for Medium 4 to provide us the itemized breakdown for their $150,000 fee? That's all we need," said Miss Robinson during the meeting.

The request followed a presentation from staff and from representatives of the council's marketing firm. Michael, a representative of the marketing firm Medium 4, told the council, "we actually have a budget of a $150,000 per contract, so there is no increase," and explained the firm's billing phases (described in the meeting as $30,000, $50,000 and $70,000 phases for planning, creative and media buying). Dante, another Medium 4 representative, added that some items listed in the tourism line (for example, GoDaddy web hosting and mobile-app registration fees) are paid directly to third parties and not to the firm.

Council members pressed for clear accounting. Board members asked for: (1) a single, itemized schedule showing which expenses are part of the $150,000 contract and which are separate; (2) recent invoices and payments from the prior 12 months so the new executive director and new board members can see historical spending; and (3) a clearer line for discretionary sponsorships and reimbursable grants.

Attorney Baptiste told the council the county had adopted an overall county budget that included the tourism line, noting the county-level action but agreeing the TDC should finalize its internal figures. "The county adopted a budget that contained the tourism development budget yesterday," the attorney said during the meeting.

The council voted to table final adoption of the FY25-26 budget and schedule a workshop on the item; the motion passed on a voice vote. At the same meeting, the council approved a $30,000 first-phase payment to Medium 4 (the vendor's phase 1 invoice) to allow ongoing marketing work. The council clerk will process the Phase 1 invoice after meeting minutes are signed.

Council members also reviewed revenue and reserves during the discussion. Staff reported bed-tax receipts of $225,812.52 collected between October 2024 and the day before the meeting and identified an available reserve balance referenced in the packet of about $414,524. Several members warned that previous years' reserves are finite and recommended aligning future spending to annual bed-tax revenue.

The council set a follow-up process: Medium 4 and staff will produce an itemized breakdown and recent invoice history, and the board scheduled a budget workshop to review the revised materials before adopting the budget. Council staff indicated the next meeting/workshop will be in November (the board discussed meeting on November 12 at 4:30 p.m.).

What the council did not do: it did not adopt the final FY25-26 budget at the Oct. 1 meeting and did not change the county's adopted budget; it only delayed the TDC's internal approval and asked staff and the contractor for clarifications.

Provenance: The budget discussion begins when staff presented the FY25-26 draft and the marketing/contract questions (excerpted in meeting materials and discussion at the start of the budget review). The Medium 4 explanation of phases and the attorney's remarks about the county-adopted budget occurred later in the same discussion.

Ending: The council directed staff and its contractor to return with the requested itemization and invoice history at the workshop; pending that follow-up, the TDC will consider final budget adoption at a future meeting.