Moab film commission asks for modest budget increases, part‑time help and vehicle option amid busy shoot schedule

Vika Metzner, director of the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission, told the board the commission remains a one‑person office and presented a 2026 budget that seeks modest increases in travel, marketing and operational support and requests a discretionary allocation to fund a part‑time assistant if the advisory board and HR approve staffing changes.

Metzner said the commission provides permitting, location scouting and local production support across Grand and San Juan counties and that, in the last weeks, several projects were active or on the ground including a Rocky Mountaineer project (“Canyon Spirit”), a Red Bull shoot and a large beverage‑company production in pre‑scout. Metzner said these productions bring economic activity to the community and that film‑tourism projects (Utah Film Trail markers, sizzle reels and familiarization tours) also support destination promotion.

Budget lines Metzner highlighted included memberships and subscriptions (Association of Film Commissioners International, Motion Picture Association of Utah, RealScout/industry listing services), marketing and booth costs for festivals, modest public‑notice and local ad money for casting calls and local screenings, and a request for funding for merchandise and familiarization tours. Metzner also proposed a leased high‑clearance 4x4 vehicle at about $1,100 per month (approximately $13,200 per year) as an operational option; she said a buyout would be in the $55,000–$65,000 range if the county preferred purchase instead of lease.

On staffing, Metzner presented an HR‑level estimate for a part‑time assistant at roughly 25 hours per week (about 1,300 hours annually). She said HR’s 2025 pay chart suggested a grade‑7 hire could range from roughly $24 to $37 per hour; Metzner included an illustrative annual salary range of roughly $31,000–$48,000 in the packet as planning guidance depending on HR placement and benefits.

Metzner noted several operational items that have been absorbed by the film commission in recent years — website administration (Wix), ad placements for casting calls, and production coordination — and asked the board to consider whether more of those functions should be supported through coordination with the Moab Office of Tourism and with agency partners (Madden, Camp Stories) rather than relying on the commission as a solo operation.

Board members asked for more detail on how productions are announced to local businesses; Metzner said confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements sometimes restrict timing, but she said she would work to provide at least a monthly heads‑up email to local businesses when crews and major projects were scheduled.

Ending: Metzner asked the board to consider a small discretionary line to fund a part‑time assistant and modest operational items; the advisory board directed staff to include these requests in the next draft for the Oct. 14 meeting and to clarify which TRCCA/TRT pots the film commission may draw from under the new statutory framework.