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Councilman asks for briefing on Auburn‑Opelika Tourism Bureau funding after 2005 ordinance
Summary
Councilman Griswold requested a Committee of the Whole briefing on the Auburn‑Opelika Tourism Bureau’s funding arrangement, noting an ordinance adopted in December 2005 that allocates one‑seventh of local lodging taxes. Council members agreed to schedule a briefing this fall; no budget change was proposed Tuesday.
Councilman Griswold asked the Auburn City Council on Sept. 2 to schedule a briefing by the Auburn‑Opelika Tourism Bureau so the agency can explain how it uses lodging‑tax funding provided under an ordinance adopted in December 2005.
Griswold said the bureau currently receives “in excess of $700,000” in city‑directed lodging tax funding, in addition to support from Opelika, and that the allocation equals one‑seventh of local lodging taxes under the 2005 ordinance. He told the Council the ordinance and funding formula are now about 20 years old and asked the Council to “consider having a briefing” so members can better understand the bureau’s needs and community benefits. Griswold said the request was not a proposal to change the budget under consideration that evening.
Mayor Anders and other Council members expressed support for the briefing. The mayor said he sits on tourism‑related boards and praised the bureau’s work attracting visitors and supporting overnight stays, banquets and conferences. The city manager told the Council the 2005 ordinance designates lodging‑tax allocations for operations and that the ordinance was adopted in December 2005 and became effective in early 2006.
City staff advised the Council that inviting the bureau to present would not set a broad precedent for every outside group to request time at Council meetings, because the tourism bureau is an agency that receives a statutory funding allocation and therefore has a specific nexus to the city’s budget process. Council members agreed to add a briefing to a future Committee of the Whole meeting, with the goal of scheduling it this fall. No change to the current budget was proposed or decided at Tuesday’s meeting.
Why it matters: City staff said the budget includes more than $5.5 million in hospitality lodging revenue over the next couple of years. Council members said reviewing the tourism bureau’s spending and the 2005 funding methodology could help ensure the allocation continues to serve community priorities as lodging revenues grow.
