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HomeMy WebLinkAbout970618 June 18, 1997 Hagerstown, Maryland A Special Meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Washington County was called to order at the Four Points Hotel at 12:00 p.m. by the Vice President, John S. Shank, with the following members present: Commissioners Ronald L. Bowers, R. Lee Downey, and James R. Wade. Also present were Maryland Senator John Derr and House of Delegates members John Donoghue, D. Bruce Poole, Anita Stup, Robert McKee, and Louise Snodgrass, as well as Robert Bruchey, Mayor of Hagerstown. Rodney Shoop, County Administrator, stated that the purpose of the meeting is to inform the Delegation of the tasks assigned to the Convention & Visitors Bureau  Transition Board of Directors (the Transition Team) and to discuss some of the concerns the Commissioners have with the direction of the Team. He provided background information on the meetings held to establish the framework for tourism in Washington County. He presented the findings of the Tourism Round  Table and the Pathway to Change timetable for the Transition Teams assignments. Mr. Shoop stated that the Transition Team was established in a meeting held on December 19 of last year and was given six-months within which to formulate an allocation of funds for the municipalities and to determine board member qualifications. He stated that the only other task assigned to the Transition Team in the Framework Strategy was to nominate a slate for election by  the membership for the new Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) board. According  to the Pathways to Change report, the new board is to restructure the CVB leadership , write a management plan, and find an agreed-upon process for change. Mr. Shoop stated that the County is requesting that the Transition Team complete its two mandated objectives within the next two weeks and forward its recommendations to the County Commissioners and the Delegation for their review and approval. At this time, the meeting was opened for comments from the Delegation and County Commissioners. The Commissioners expressed several concerns they have with the actions of the Transition Team. They noted that the Team has closed tourist information centers, terminated current employees, and indicated that it will not assist the municipalities with events they hold which help to promote tourism in the County. The Commissioners indicated that they feel the Transition Team has overstepped the bounds of the designated tasks. Delegate Poole expressed his support for the actions of the Transition Team and stated that the CVB is a private corporation operating within its bylaws. Jim Kell, Transition Team member, presented information on the election of the Transition Team as the CVB Board of Directors and its goal is to restructure the budget. Mr. Kell stated that 60 percent of the CVB budget is now used for the payroll and the Board wants to decrease the portion to devote more funds to marketing. He said that he felt that the Board was authorized as a private corporation to close the Breezewood and William sport information centers. He also stated that the group was informed that the current employees were County employees rather than CVB employees. Ronald Stansbury indicated that they wish to make Washington County a preferred destination. He also announced that Benjamin Hart has been selected by the Board as the new director of the CVB. At this time Commissioner Shank opened the meeting for public comments. Richard Douglas, County Attorney, stated that the County is the steward of  taxpayers dollars. As the taxing authority for the hotel rental tax which is the source of the funding used to underwrite the tourism budget, it has the right and responsibility to assure that the funds are used in the property manner. He also discussed the resolution passed by the CVB Transition Board which agreed to maintain the current employees until December 31, 1997. JUNE 18, 1997 PAGE TWO After hearing all comments, the Commissioners agreed to meet with the CVB Transition Board to settle these issues. The meeting was adjourned at 2:10 p.m. County Administrator County Attorney , Clerk