Tourism Committee approves FY 23 budget to send to city

At the August 17 Maryville Tourism Committee meeting, the fiscal year 2023 budget presented by City Manager Greg McDanel was reviewed, discussed and approved to go to the Maryville City Council.

Projected revenues are $175,000, transient guest tax; $5,000 in state grants; reimbursement on joint projects from MDIO for director, $25,377; and revenue from Cobblestone and Mozingo Lake cabins, $49,500.

Projected expenses include $101,509 for personnel services; printing and advertising, $37,500; travel and training, $7,000; tourism grant program, $15,000; tourism photography $10,000; wayfinding bid specs, $7,500; general supplies, $8,000; wayfinding signage, $150,000 and Hughes Fieldhouse lease, $150,000.

In the financial report, income as of August 12 is $128,362, transient guest tax; state grant, $3,625; interest on investments, $357; miscellaneous revenue including guest tax from Cobblestone and Mozingo cabins, $32,154. Beginning resources for the year were $421,398 on October 1, 2021.

Expenses for FY 22 as of same date are $19,583, salaries and wages; FICA contribution $1,322, insurance employee, $4,348, insurance family, $5,132; printing and advertising, $319; travel and training, $3,071, other contractual services, $19,680; general supplies $2,490; memberships and subscriptions, $575; and $150,000 to Hughes Fieldhouse.

The committee decided it needs to have a strategic planning session since the hiring of the tourism director.

Bryan Dulin, one of the committee’s at-large members, resigned. The committee will be looking for a replacement and McDanel asked them to contact Stacy Wood at city hall with replacement suggestions.

Tourism Director DeAnn Davison said there needed to be a policy in place for the use of photos taken for tourism. She saw three levels of use. The first being the city and Mozingo. The second being NCED, the chamber and the downtown organization. The third type of photo being the actual subject business. She wants to control the photographs and what utilization is used. A suggestion was made to watermark the photos.

She is going to bring a one page photography release to the next meeting. The committee said Davison could make the decisions on the photo usage, unless there is a problem, then it should be referred to the committee.