Board names three‑member review panel for special‑events marketing grants

The Moab Tourism Advisory Board voted to form a three‑member review committee to evaluate the first round of special‑events marketing grant applications, naming board members Jason Taylor, Howard Trimholm and Corey Phillips to the panel.

Staff told the board the grant application is live and the deadline is March 1. "At the December 9 meeting, you all approved the grant guidelines and the application and scoring guidelines and things like that," a staff member said, explaining that applications will be scored on the board's five or six published criteria using a 1–5 rubric.

Board members debated whether a three‑member panel or four‑member panel would be preferable. Several members noted that a three‑person panel helps avoid quorum issues for the full board and allows the subcommittee to review applications informally while keeping the process transparent. Staff said applications and scorecards would be shared through a Google folder and that score sheets could be made public at the March 10 board meeting, when the committee is expected to present its recommendation for awards that would go to the commission on March 17.

Jason Taylor moved to appoint Taylor, Howard Trimholm and Corey Phillips as the initial reviewers; members discussed logistics and transparency and indicated the process would be posted for public review. The motion as recorded in the transcript advanced the selection; staff confirmed they will provide the application materials and scorecards for public review at the March meeting.

Next steps: the three‑member panel will review submissions as they arrive, populate scorecards, and present funding recommendations to the full board at the March 10 meeting for a subsequent commission review on March 17.