Groves Council approves $22,000 in hotel-occupancy-tax funds to pursue Guinness World Record certification for pecan sculpture

The Groves City Council on Oct. 27 approved $22,000 in hotel-occupancy-tax funds to help the Groves Pecan Festival secure Guinness World Records (GWR) certification and a related media package. The council approved the request by motion and recorded aye votes from the mayor, the mayor pro tem, and council members who were present.

The festival—s presenter (Miss Cruz, staff/organizer) told council the $22,000 would pay for the GWR package that includes application support, an on-site GWR adjudicator to verify and announce the record, rights to use GWR branding for promotion, one promotional video and up to 1,000 printed items, plus a local media buy. Festival organizers said they would cover the adjudicator—s travel and hotel costs and had selected a media package of TV spots with local stations as part of the campaign. Miss Cruz told council the festival could already claim to be the world—s largest pecan informally, but GWR certification would provide global visibility and marketing credibility.

City staff explained that HOT funds are limited to tourism-related uses under state law, commonly described as "heads and beds" tests that prioritize events and promotions likely to draw nonlocal visitors. Lamar (staff) summarized allowable HOT spending as advertising, events and promotional items; cash awards are not authorized. Council members asked about the fund balance and were told the HOT fund had an available balance sufficient to cover the request. Council members also asked whether the city would pay any ongoing maintenance or annual fees; staff said the GWR listing would not require an annual maintenance payment.

Council discussed timing and contract details. Miss Cruz said the GWR package price could be reduced by $1,000 if the city proceeded within 30 days; she also said the festival and the chamber would pay certain media and logistical costs. Staff said the final contract with GWR had not yet been drafted and would be provided after council approval.

Motion and vote: Council moved to approve the Groves Pecan Festival—s request for $22,000 in hotel-occupancy-tax funds for tourism-related advertising and promotion. The motion was seconded. Recorded votes in favor included the mayor, Mayor Pro Temkinidis, Council member Holmes and Council member Guggenheim; the motion passed.

Why it matters: Festival organizers said GWR certification and the media campaign would increase the city—s tourism visibility and could attract visitors from outside the region. Council noted that use of HOT funds for promotional events is an established purpose of the tax and asked staff to provide the contract and final invoice details before disbursement.

Clarifying note: Council and staff said the city would not draw these funds from the general fund; the money approved is from hotel-occupancy-tax receipts and is restricted to tourism-related expenditures under state law.