Business leaders press for OCTAX oversight as CVB reports Q2 booking gains

At the same meeting, the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau reported increases in bookings and leads for April–June, but local business leaders and a longtime organizer urged the committee to strengthen oversight of county occupancy-tax (OCTAX) spending.

Gina Mincer, executive director of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce and CVB, said the bureau distributed 42 leads in Q2, which led to 41 bookings that generated roughly 18,000 attendees and about 7,000 room nights for an estimated $16.8 million in economic impact tied to those specific bookings. Year-to-date, the CVB reported 87 leads, 72 bookings and about 22,000 attendees. Mincer highlighted sports, group-tour and wedding-market activity and a pipeline of pending room nights.

Public commenters pushed back on how OCTAX funds have been allocated. Tyler Herrick of Spruce Hospitality said the bid process for the basketball tournament now centralizes ticketing and increases costs, and described ongoing local applications to municipal occupancy funds.

John Carr, who spoke during public comment, urged the county to re-establish a business-oriented advisory group that existed under the initial OCTAX resolution. Carr said the advisory body once included multiple municipal representatives and industry members and could provide street-level data to the committee about which events truly drive room nights and local spending. He suggested the committee consider a legal review of the state statute that governs county occupancy-tax spending (referred to in discussion as "12 o 2 u") to ensure consistent interpretation and to clarify what constitutes allowable promotion.

Chair and committee members agreed to place discussion of an advisory body and OCTAX governance on next month’s agenda for further work.