Visit Tuolumne County Will Have Chance To Make Pitch

Photo by: BJ Hansen

Tuolumne, CA — With a potential funding reduction being considered, leaders from Visit Tuolumne County will be given time to address the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors about the role of tourism marketing in the local economy.

We reported in December that CAO Tracie Riggs put forward a proposal for consideration that would reduce Visit Tuolumne County’s allocation from the roughly 20% of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenues (special tax placed on lodging) down to a set amount, which would gradually fall to $500,000 in five years. Currently, Visit Tuolumne County receives around $1.75-million.

Some proponents of the gradual reduction of VTC have argued that extra money is needed for things like fire services (it would go to the General Fund and could be used for any purpose). Opponents have countered that cutting Visit Tuolumne County’s spending, which helps market the region to visitors, would in turn lead to reduced travel spending and correlating tax dollars. Instead of making a decision in December, the board decided to invite Visit Tuolumne County back at a later date so that the group can give a presentation on the benefits of investing in local tourism efforts, and in turn, the supervisors can ask detailed questions.

Is the funding percentage 20% or 25%?

Some people say that Visit Tuolumne County receives 25% of TOT revenue (which has been the historical amount), and others say it is 20%.

It comes down to technicality.

The current contract stipulates that VTC receives 25% of revenues collected from a 10% TOT. However, in the middle of the contract, county voters in 2020 increased the TOT to 12%. The contract was never renegotiated after the vote, so VTC currently receives 25% of the originally stated 10% TOT revenue. If you use the 12% amount as a baseline, it would equate to about 20%.

Tuesday’s VTC presentation will take place at 10am during the regular board meeting. It will be held at the Tuolumne Resilience Center. There will be no live stream video of the meeting, because it is being held offsite while repairs are being made to the elevator at the main administration building.

The county notes that no formal action about Visit Tuolumne County’s contract will be taken on Tuesday, and the presentation is purely for informational purposes. A funding decision will come at a later meeting during budget discussions.

Tuesday’s meeting will be busy for the board. We reported earlier that another high-profile item is the discussion about the purchasing of the Columbia Inn Motel for homelessness-related efforts. The county updates that the Columbia Inn item is now scheduled for 3pm.