Clovis advisory board recommends $75,000 in lodgers-tax awards, forwards package to City Commission

The Clovis Lodgers Tax Advisory Board on Jan. 14 recommended $75,000 in lodging-tax promotional awards to a slate of local events and organizations, and forwarded the package to the Clovis City Commission for final approval.

Justin (city staff) told the board it was “about $36,000, in actual or over budget, in actual collections versus budgeted collections,” and said the advisory board had roughly $105,000 available to award across two remaining meetings and approximately $50,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year. Justin said tonight’s packet contained roughly $200,000 in requests against a typical annual promotional budget of about $289,000.

“Tonight’s applications are $200,000 worth of requests,” Justin said, describing a crowding of demand for a constrained funding pool. The board moved through more than a dozen grant applications from event organizers and venue operators before taking a single recommendation vote to forward awards to the commission.

Why it matters: Lodgers-tax awards fund advertising and promotional activity intended to encourage out-of-town stays and hotel revenue. Board members repeatedly asked applicants whether proposed advertising or promotional purchases would be eligible for reimbursement given the City Commission’s timeline: the advisory board’s recommendations do not become reimbursable until the commission acts in May.

The advisory board recommended awards to the following applicants (amounts are the board’s recommended award, not final City Commission awards): Red Rock Roping — $6,500; Desert Cruisers Car Club — $7,500; Baxter Curran car and motorcycle show — $7,500; Curry County Fair / Curry County Event Center — $20,000; Home and Garden Show — $6,500; Clovis Chamber of Commerce (promotional items) — $4,000; Dragon Main (regional car/drag event) — $6,000 (this group had previously received $40,000 in November); Black Pearl Boxing — $2,000; True Roping (13th annual team roping) — $15,000. The board set some applications to be considered at a later meeting, including Phoenix Outdoors and several smaller events.

Casey Messick, general manager of the Curry County Event Center and Fairgrounds, told the board the fair drew 27,000 attendees last year and that targeted digital advertising produced hundreds of thousands of impressions outside the Clovis market. “We had 27,000 people through the gate last year,” Messick said, adding that the fair booked about 300 vendor room nights and additional nights for entertainment staff.

Applicants and board members discussed several recurring timing and eligibility issues. Justin reminded applicants that any advertising or promotional purchases made before the City Commission awards in May would not be eligible for reimbursement. Several applicants said they had delayed orders pending the commission decision; John English, representing Red Rock Roping, and Walt Denney, his partner, said some printed advertising already in circulation could not be retroactively branded with the city logo but that saddle awards could be ordered after the commission decision and receive the city mark in time for the event.

Board members also asked applicants for data on out-of-town stays. Dragon Main’s organizer said the event had documented more than $16,500 in hotel spending and sold out six hotels during last year’s event, citing QR-code tracking that showed attendees from states including Colorado, Missouri and North Carolina.

After discussion, the advisory board took a single motion to approve the recommended awards and forward them to the City Commission for final action. The board noted roughly $42,000 remained available for the next meeting, but staff cautioned that expected requests in the coming months (CBT barrel racing, CSA softball, Operation Phoenix, and NRL Hunter Coalition) could absorb much of that balance if those groups request full amounts.

The board also discussed calendar constraints: the advisory board’s next meeting is in May and the City Commission will not consider the awards until its May meetings, which affects whether advertising can be reimbursed for events taking place in March or early May.

Votes at a glance: The board voted to recommend awards totaling $75,000 to the applicants listed above and to forward the recommendations to the City Commission for final approval at its May meeting.

Looking ahead: Staff said the City Commission is scheduled to consider the advisory board’s recommendations in May and that applicants should plan purchases and invoicing schedules around the commission timetable to preserve eligibility for reimbursement.

(End)