Tourism authority seeks board adoption of $7.5M budget after record year; highlights economic impacts

Representatives of the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau asked the board to adopt their budget for the coming year and summarized last year's results.

Miss Carpenter (CVB) reminded the board that the bureau is funded by occupancy tax paid by visitors and that the organization is not requesting county general fund dollars. She highlighted last year's metrics (a record FY2025 near $7.8 million in revenue) and summarized program successes including "Burger Madness," meeting sales that generated tens of thousands of room nights, and turf and track investments that enabled several tournaments and related economic impacts.

Mr. Mills reviewed the FY2026 budget proposal and explained revenue assumptions after a temporary loss of room inventory due to an Embassy Suites remodel. He said the board-approved budget proposal centers on roughly $7.5–7.6 million in revenues and outlined major expense categories: staffing (~30.5%), admin fees (about 11.8%), and paid media (the largest share at about 58% of marketing/operational spend). He also noted county-held administrative and marketing fees that flow back to the general fund or to tourism-related capital projects.

Why it matters: The CVB's work generates hotel stays and visitor spending that the presenters said produce local tax savings per resident and support local businesses; adoption of the budget determines marketing and program capacity for the coming year.

Next steps: Presenters asked for consent approval on the work session item and to present the finalized budget for adoption at the regular meeting.