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Guymon tourism board approves minutes, reviews grant guidelines and budget; plans hotel‑motel tax director hire
Summary
At its Dec. 18 meeting the Guymon Convention Tourism Board approved Nov. 20 minutes, discussed broadened business-improvement grant guidelines, reviewed the approved budget and transfers, and heard plans to hire a hotel‑motel tax director; no contested votes were recorded.
The Guymon Convention Tourism Board met Dec. 18 and unanimously approved minutes from its Nov. 20 meeting before spending most of the session reviewing updated grant guidelines, the board’s proposed budget and a plan to hire a hotel‑motel tax director, members and staff said.
Board members focused on changes to the business‑improvement grant packet that staff said were intended to widen eligibility rather than increase award size. “They changed the wording, and they included, like, code…they left the amount,” said Unidentified Speaker 2, describing edits intended to help applicants who need to meet code enforcement recommendations. The packet containing those guidelines was included with materials the speaker said were “passed by counsel.”
The discussion touched on whether the board should seek authority to raise the maximum grant award to $10,000. Unidentified Speaker 1 said the board had discussed raising the grant; staff and other members clarified the council changed language to broaden access but did not raise the dollar amount. The guidelines are posted on the city website, the chair noted.
Finance and budget figures were discussed at length. Unidentified Speaker 4 said the approved budget shows an amount of $346,500 for the CT program and cited a $140,000 transfer into the general fund from CT line items; projected revenue for the coming fiscal year was described as roughly $700,000. Board members asked about recurring line items — including a $30,000 fireworks allocation and payments to the Chamber of Commerce for the rodeo — and were directed to the city’s general fund line‑item listings for details.
Unidentified Speaker 4 told the board the city plans to appoint a hotel‑motel tax director “sometime after the first few years,” and that the position will oversee the CT budget and activities; the appointment is not expected in January. Members said they expect the new staffer to help pursue events and funding opportunities locally.
Members also flagged pending state legislation that could affect how events are promoted. “There is a house bill trying to be passed… I think it’s House Bill 400,” Unidentified Speaker 1 said; the board said it would monitor the bill’s progress in the commerce committee for possible implications for CT programming.
Procedural items included a motion to approve the Nov. 20 minutes, which passed after board members recorded their votes, and a motion to adjourn, which was approved at the meeting’s close. The board’s packet, including the revised grant guidelines, is available on the city website and staff encouraged members to contact city staff for follow‑up or to reopen the packet for edits.
