Jefferson County tourism board approves routine business, hears grant-funded project updates
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Summary
The Jefferson County Board of Tourism approved minutes and financial reports and heard presentations from grant recipients including Historic Madison Inc., the busking program, Madison Trolley Line and the Madison Front Development Committee, which reported increased visitation and revenue linked to grant-supported marketing.
The Jefferson County Board of Tourism on its January meeting approved routine minutes and financial reports and spent the evening hearing updates from organizations that received grant funding in 2025.
Dr. David Raymer presented the treasurer’s report, saying December 2025 activity totaled $103,840.76 and that total receipts for 2025 were $1,130,531.78 — “an increase of 46 plus percent” from the prior year — leaving a beginning‑of‑year balance of $606,144.27. Raymer listed early 2026 deductions including VMI operations expense ($91,395.20) and a marketing claim ($38,051.61). The board voted to accept the treasurer’s report as presented.
Grant recipients described how board funding supported programming and marketing. John Stancer of Historic Madison Incorporated told the board, “We received a grant of $11,000 that was allocated to assist with part time digital content associate and a part time programs assistant and also to aid with technology costs,” and credited the position with producing 174 pieces of digital content in 2025, adding five web pages, digitizing more than 1,000 pages of records and running 353 tours and programs last year.
Charlie Rolfin, who presented the music and busking program, said JCPT funding “lets us do the marketing,” and cited the program’s results: roughly $27,000–$28,000 in total spending in the prior year (Charlie listed about $19,000 for marketing and roughly $8,000 paid to musicians), an estimated 162 street performances and follower growth from about 6,000 to 11,000 across social platforms; Charlie also highlighted multi‑million view totals reported in the presentation.
Representatives of the Madison Trolley Line credited a $14,000 2025 grant with helping create ticketed and special‑event programming; the trolley team said haunted‑ride runs sold out 16 of 18 dates and that a Nov. 9–Dec. 24 marketing push produced more than 200,000 website hits, informing plans for off‑season promotions.
A representative of the Madison Front Development Committee thanked the board for a $5,000 grant and summarized event economics tied to a golf‑cart poker run and other activities. The speaker said net profit from the event was $71,446 and cited Placer data showing roughly 1,600 visitors traveling 35+ miles in 2025 (up from 1,300 in 2024), which the speaker linked to targeted digital marketing funded in part by the board.
Board members pressed on operational details and partnerships: discussions covered recruiting college musicians for busking, scheduling and seasonality, use of digital metrics and cross‑organization coordination through the Jefferson County Tourism Alliance. VMI reported the 2026 visitor guide was finalized and going to the printer and that staff are preparing for bridal and trade shows to drive group visitation.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the Dec. 15, 2025 minutes; accepted the treasurer’s report; and approved two presented claims. Specific roll‑call tallies were not provided in the meeting minutes.
The board closed the session after electing officers for 2026 and adjourning later in the meeting.
