Tourism commission accepts unaudited fiscal 2025 results as audit begins

The Tourism and Convention Commission on an opening vote accepted an unaudited financial report for fiscal 2025, finance staff said, and commissioners recorded the start of the annual CPA audit process.

Jeff Mefford, finance staff, told the commission that “hotel tax collections received by Metro continue to be strong with a total received for the year of just over a $152,000,000.” He said the portion of that revenue dedicated to tourism promotion totaled $44,000,000 and was within about 1.5% of the prior year. Mefford added that total revenue for the CBC from all sources was “just under 46,000,000,” including more than $10 million obtained from non‑metro sources to supplement the Metro contract funding.

The report also detailed spending by program area. Mefford said sales accounted for about 28% of spending versus 30% in the budget, marketing and public affairs consumed the largest share, and administration was roughly 12% of total spending. He told the commission the organization implemented its marketing plan “successfully and to do so under budget.” The commission was also told the formal CPA audit was scheduled to begin the following week and the figures presented were unaudited.

Commissioners moved to accept the financial report during the meeting. The motion to accept the financial report was moved by Sherry Franklin and seconded by Sabriel Brown; the commission voted in favor and the motion carried. The minutes of the meeting were also approved earlier in the session.

Why it matters: Hotel‑tax receipts fund the city’s tourism promotion work; commissioners said the near‑record collections and the organization’s ability to spend close to plan while remaining under budget are important context as the CPA audit proceeds.

The commission did not take additional budgetary actions at the meeting; staff said any final changes would follow the completion of the audit.