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Travel bureau approves consolidated event funding, agrees to four motel rooms for state workshop and updates grants and trails plans
Summary
The board approved a consolidated slate of 11 event funding applications, agreed to pay up to four motel rooms for a state tourism workshop, and received staff updates on grant closeouts, new OHVR/RTP grant applications, TRT revenue and trails committee requests to the BLM.
The Emery County Travel Bureau board approved a consolidated approach to event funding and took several administrative actions to support local tourism operators and grant work.
Staff presented a spreadsheet of applicants and asked whether the board would approve the 11 current applicants as a group rather than taking each request individually. A board member moved to approve all 11 applications as presented; the motion was seconded and passed by voice/roll-call. Staff said the left-hand column of the spreadsheet reflected the amounts staff had budgeted for each event.
Separately, staff asked whether the bureau would provide motel rooms for business owners to attend a free tourism business-development workshop in Kanab April 21–23. The board moved to fund up to four motel rooms for attendees; the motion was seconded and approved by roll-call.
Amanda (event coordinator) reported that table tents for hotels and restaurants would be printed and distributed, that the county fair will include a mountain-bike event and a restored Cowboys Memorial rodeo (with donor support), and that the junior entrepreneur 'Shark Tank' program will feature 31 youth pitches with roughly $13,000 in awards. She said staff are also soliciting radio-ad quotes (co-op grant) and replenishing promotional 'swag' previously used under co-op funding.
On grants and finance, staff said the office closed out the 2025 co-op marketing grant after reallocating budgeted 'swag' expenditures and is awaiting the final disbursement; the office submitted an OHVR grant application for a signing crew and is preparing an RTP grant application due in two weeks. Staff also noted TRT (transient room tax) receipts showed an increase in February (from about $23,000 to $31,000 year over year), and discussed how a proposed state bill repealing the restaurant tax (referred to as House Bill 456 in the meeting) could reduce county receipts by roughly $120,000 if it returns to the legislature.
Trails staff summarized recent projects (Colbert Trail work, a new parking lot at Joels Valley, and road-grading assistance from the county road crew) and said the trails committee voted to ask the county commission to send a letter to the Bureau of Land Management requesting that an undesignated section of the Mountain Dew Trail be opened so it can be maintained and used by local riders. Staff asked the commission to support that letter and said opening the section would allow maintenance on traveled parts currently excluded from the travel-management plan.
The board’s votes and the staff updates were procedural and intended to allow staff to proceed with outreach and grant implementation.
