Baker County TDC recommends North Star as top choice for tourism strategic plan

The Baker County Tourist Development Council recommended North Star as its top-ranked respondent to the tourism strategic-plan RFQ and nominated Chandler as the second choice if negotiations with North Star do not reach agreement.

Staff member Sarah explained the scoring process and the next steps: board members submit score sheets or rank order, staff will compile the results to produce a recommendation, and the recommendation will be forwarded to the county commissioners for approval and subsequent contract negotiations. Sarah said, "that recommendation is sent on to the county commissioners. And then from there, if the county commissioners approve it, then we would go into contract negotiations with that company." (staff paraphrase)

Board discussion emphasized proposals that showed local knowledge or proposed deeper outreach, including in-person events and a 12-month follow-up review. Several members noted North Star and Chandler stood out for local understanding and proposed outreach methodology. Staff asked members to return or email score sheets promptly so she could finalize the ranking for the commission meeting set for the 15th.

Members also discussed limitations on obtaining a hotel-by-hotel revenue breakdown; staff said the tax collector considers such a breakdown exempt from public record, limiting the board's direct access to that specific data and prompting discussion of alternative estimation methods.

The council's recommendation will be forwarded to the county commission for final action; no county-level vote was recorded at the TDC meeting.