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Business Improvement District outlines $86,020 budget, co-op marketing with Visit South Dakota
Summary
Preston Gable, BID chair, presented an $86,020 budget focused on co-op marketing with Visit South Dakota, a $10,000 fireworks contribution and advertising partnerships; he also shared regional tourism statistics attributed to Visit South Dakota.
Preston Gable, chair of the Hot Springs Business Improvement District (BID), presented the BID’s annual update and its proposed 2025 budget of $86,020.
Gable said $5,000 of the budget goes to a co-op program with Visit South Dakota; those funds are matched dollar-for-dollar to place Hot Springs in tier 2 of the program, enabling broader traditional marketing such as TV and print alongside digital campaigns. "Being in tier 2 will help get the Hot Springs message to a broader range of potential visitors," Gable said.
He said $10,000 of the budget helps fund the city fireworks show and nearly $11,000 supports co-op ads with the Chamber of Commerce, a billboard and regional vacation guides. Gable identified main visitor attractions highlighted in the campaign as Evans Plunge, Southern Hills Golf Course, Moccasin Springs and the Mammoth Site.
Citing Visit South Dakota data, Gable said 2024 visitor spending for the state exceeded $8 billion and that visitor spending in the Black Hills region reached about $1.96 billion, with most concentrated in Pennington and Lawrence counties. He said Fall River County visitor spending was about $39.4 million in 2024, generating roughly $3 million in state and local tax revenue.
Gable said the BID is considering a bylaws change to meet at least twice a year rather than quarterly, noting once the budget is set there is less routine business for the board.
Councilors asked for a copy of the BID report; Gable said he would scan and distribute the materials.
