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Ellsworth council approves up to $500 in bed‑tax funds for tourism advertising
Summary
The council approved an allocation from the transient (bed) tax to pay for two newspaper ads and coordinated social-media promotion to raise public awareness of tourism grant availability; receipts will be returned to city staff for accounting.
The Ellsworth City Council on a voice vote approved an allocation of up to $500 from the transient guest (bed) tax to help the Convention and Tourism Committee pay for marketing and outreach.
The council heard from a committee representative (Convention and Tourism Committee representative) who said the committee planned two newspaper ads priced at $248 each — one after March and one after April — and a coordinated Facebook campaign during the March 1–April 30 campaign window. "My recommendation was we need to figure out a way to help the community understand that this fund exists," the committee representative said during the meeting.
Council members asked whether other community groups could apply for the same bed‑tax funds; the committee representative and staff confirmed independent committees and event organizers may apply but must follow reporting and accountability requirements documented in a publicly available fact sheet. The representative said receipts for the advertising will be returned to Angela and posted to the appropriate account.
A motion to approve the allocation was moved and seconded by the council president; the Chair called for the question and the motion carried. Councilors said the action was meant to be a modest, accountable effort to raise awareness of the fund and encourage applications.
The committee will work with the newspaper to produce the ads and coordinate social posts through the city's accounts. Staff will record the expense and require receipts before final accounting.
