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Council questions Region 12 taxi-ticket mechanics and seeks clarity on tourism grants
Summary
Councilors asked staff to pull Region 12 billing details for the taxi-ticket program and to verify tourism event revenues and profit/loss statements before allocating further tourism grants; the aim is to understand per-ticket reimbursements and whether events that earned revenue should still receive city allocations.
Councilors pressed staff for clearer accounting of two revenue-related programs: the Region 12 taxi-ticket program and tourism-grant distributions to events such as Hot Summer Nights.
On the taxi/Region 12 program, staff described the paper-ticket system and estimates of reimbursement mechanics: the city sells a $30 booklet and Region 12 bills the city for the booklet plus a per-ticket handling fee (discussed estimates: $0.50–$1.25 per ticket). Usage has declined from prior years, and councilors questioned whether the city should perform ticket sales directly or continue the Region 12 arrangement.
"So we pay them monthly to manage the facility...they get 5% of the rental income," Staff member (S4) said earlier while describing other contracts; on taxi-ticket details S4 agreed to pull Region 12 invoices for an exact accounting of the per-ticket split.
On tourism, staff presented projected hotel-motel tax revenues of about $189,000 and listed recent grant awards (examples discussed in meeting: $18,000 to chamber for barbecue events, $10,000 to Hot Summer Nights, $4,500 to Immigrant Heritage Festival). Councilors asked for profit-and-loss statements for events that reported funds so the city can assess whether continued allocations are justified and whether event revenues have been properly returned to tourism accounts in prior years.
Councilors did not change grant amounts at the meeting. Staff was instructed to provide the requested Region 12 billing detail and event financial reports for the next review.
