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Emery County Travel Bureau previews tight 2026 budget, plans contract renewal for marketing specialist
Summary
Staff presented a constrained 2026 marketing budget (just over $31,000) and projected revenue lines, noting transient-room-tax receipts are down; the board was told a marketing specialist's contract will be re-signed and placed on next month's agenda for formal approval.
Staff presented draft 2026 budget sheets and warned of limited flexibility for discretionary projects. The travel office said estimated revenue lines include transient room tax (TRT) income and restaurant tax receipts; staff summarized that the 2026 marketing budget is "just over $31,000" and that some smaller projects may need to be deferred because co-op grant funding is lower than in prior years.
During the financial review staff stated last year's TRT revenue figure and occupancy data pulled from the Utah state tourism office: "RTRT revenue from last year was $5,808,871" and occupancy was roughly "52 or 55%," staff said; they emphasized those numbers show a downturn in receipts to plan around. The office also said it has only pulled $60,000 from fund balance for 2026 projects and will prioritize core event and advertising work.
On staffing, the board was told the office intends to keep a contracted marketing specialist (referred to as Kevin) but will need to re-sign his contract before March; the contract and minor contract edits will appear on the February agenda for a formal vote. Staff characterized the marketing position as central to outreach and said maintaining the contract is important to continue social-media promotion and event support.
No formal votes were recorded during the working meeting; staff said formal approvals for contracts and budget allocations would be sought at a future meeting after members review detailed figures.
