Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Inver Grove Heights shifts convention-and-visitors operations to Chamber, approves lodging-tax agreement
Loading...
Summary
The council approved an agreement to place the city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau under the River Heights Chamber of Commerce, remitting 95% of lodging-tax revenues monthly to the Chamber, while retaining oversight through quarterly reports and a seven-member advisory board; the change takes effect June 1.
The Inver Grove Heights City Council on March 9 approved an agreement to transfer operational maintenance of the city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau (Visit IGH) to the River Heights Chamber of Commerce, effective June 1, and authorized remitting 95% of lodging-tax revenues to the Chamber monthly.
City administrator Ellen, presenting the proposal, said the shift would remove the CVB as a city board and place operations with the Chamber while keeping city oversight in place: "the city would remit 95% of the lodging tax revenues to the chamber monthly," she said, adding that quarterly budget reports and an annual presentation to council will be required and that all financial records will remain accessible for review.
Under the agreement the Chamber will pay administrative costs and issue payments directly to vendors; the contract limits administrative spending so that no more than 50% of the lodging-tax dollars may be used for administrative purposes. The administrator described a seven-member advisory board that will include two city representatives (one elected and one staff member) to monitor performance and reporting.
Finance Director Amy Hov provided budget context: "The annual budget is about $219,000," she said, referring to the CVB’s current lodging-tax-funded program budget. City staff noted a future fund-balance transfer will be brought to council so the Chamber has sufficient cash flow to operate under the new arrangement.
Staff also described a proposed staffing structure in which a combined Chamber/CVB executive director would split duties (roughly 67% CVB duties paid by the CVB and 33% Chamber duties) and the Chamber would hire additional part-time CVB support (roughly 10–15 hours per week) to handle administrative and social-media tasks.
Councilors discussed procurement and policy issues for the new governance structure; city administrator Ellen said procurement policies for CVB activities would be developed by the CVB board and that council appointees to that board could recommend practices they want adopted. Mayor Dietrich volunteered to serve as council representative on the advisory board.
The council approved the resolution authorizing the agreement on a unanimous roll call. Staff said next steps include finalizing accounting mechanisms and bringing a recommended fund-balance transfer to council to support the transition.
