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Council presses Visit Grants Pass on DMO contract: IP rights, audits and welcome‑center hours are focal points
Summary
At a May 4 workshop Grants Pass councilors probed the DMO contract renewal and proposed addition of downtown welcome‑center operations to Visit Grants Pass’s scope, pressing on intellectual‑property language, audit/review requirements and clearer financial reporting.
Grants Pass councilors spent the bulk of a May 4 workshop scrutinizing the destination marketing organization contract that funds Visit Grants Pass, pressing staff and the nonprofit for clearer audit language, documented funding sources for promotional materials and assurances about welcome‑center hours.
Dana Pierce, economic development staff, opened the DMO segment by explaining that the city contributes 28% of net transient lodging tax (TLT) receipts to fund Visit Grants Pass (Josephine County Visitors Association DBA Visit Grants Pass). She said Oregon statute and municipal code restrict promotion funds to activities that attract visitors from more than 50 miles away or that lead to overnight stays.
A Visit Grants Pass board representative outlined the DMO’s history and structure, tracing a PAVE audit and a DMO Pros review in 2020 that led the city and stakeholders to form a nonprofit board and transition tourism promotion out of the chamber. The speaker urged council to view the DMO as an investment in community economic development: “This is a huge…
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