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Commission to review $1,500 annual association membership; short-term rentals, hotel representation discussed
Summary
Geary County commissioners discussed whether to remain in an unnamed tourism/marketing association that costs $1,500 per year, raised concerns about rebranding costs and limited recognition from the group’s promotions, and debated how short-term rentals are counted for the county’s guest tax.
Geary County commissioners discussed whether the county should continue paying a $1,500 annual membership fee to an association and asked staff to research the benefits before deciding.
Commissioner (unnamed) said the membership "is $1,500 a year to belong," and commissioners raised concerns that dropping membership could require a rebrand that would increase costs. Commissioner (unnamed) said the association’s membership can include "CVBs. It could be cities. It could be counties." Another commissioner said county representatives want to research the issue further before making a determination.
The discussion also touched on whether short-term rentals should be treated like hotels for tourism promotion and tax purposes. One commissioner said the county struggles to find hotel representatives to serve on related committees and suggested short-term rentals — “Airbnb will work,” a speaker said — should be considered because many are collecting the county’s guest tax. A speaker estimated there are many short-term rentals in the county but did not provide a precise count; the transcript phrase was an imprecise estimate and the exact number is not specified.
Commissioners noted a perceived lack of visible benefits from the association, such as recognition on the association’s social media accounts. One commissioner said, "if they're not doing anything for us, I don't want" to continue paying, and staff were asked to follow up on whether the association is delivering value for the annual fee and whether rebranding costs would apply if the county left.
No formal motion or vote on membership was recorded. Commissioners discussed placing the matter on a future agenda for further review and asked staff to return with additional information so the commission can make a determination.
Clarifying details from the meeting: the annual membership fee discussed was $1,500; the association’s membership may include convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), cities, and counties; commissioners raised rebranding costs as a potential additional expense if the county withdraws. A precise count of short-term rentals in the county was not provided in the meeting and remains not specified.
