Council approves 13-year agreement with Visit Grove City and clarifies VCB board participation

Grove City Council voted to approve Ordinance C20-25, authorizing the city administrator to enter a 13-year agreement with the Grove City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, doing business as Visit Grove City.

City staff said the agreement outlines responsibilities for marketing and sales for the convention center and that the organization will develop a sales and marketing plan and a business plan. The agreement provides for two city-designated voting board members — a council liaison and an economic development manager — and it clarifies that the city will forward the April hotel-motel tax allocation to the organization for the contract period, subject to annual budgetary performance.

Amanda Davis, representing Visit Grove City, said the VCB currently has 10 board members and bylaws that allow up to 11; both the council liaison and economic development manager have voting privileges under the current arrangement. City staff said they are negotiating similar agreements with three other organizations that receive city funds (the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Business Association, and Little Theater Off Broadway) though those groups receive significantly smaller annual allocations (around $70,000) compared with Visit Grove City’s approximately $486,000 annual allocation referenced in the hearing.

Council discussed the timetable for quarterly reporting and confirmed there would be two additional quarterly presentations in calendar year 2025 following the meeting. Council approved the ordinance following the second reading and public hearing; roll-call votes recorded in the transcript indicate approval by a majority with no recorded dissent.

Next steps: The city will finalize the contract signature and continue negotiations for similar agreements with other tourism and business organizations funded by bed-tax revenues.