Tourism Commission off the chopping block

Until its meeting earlier this month, the city’s Tourism Commission had not met since May 10, 2021, which meant it was in violation of the city ordinance that requires regular meetings. Stephanie Hall of the city clerk’s office told the Audit and Finance Committee at Wednesday’s meeting that they could vote to disband the commission, put it on probation or allow it to continue. The chair of the commission, Rachel Magee, told Council many members of the commission are in the tourism industry and had been “dealing with shifting sands,” as each variant of the Covid-19 virus has afflicted the city. She noted that the commissioners met successfully this month and did not set meeting times and dates for future meetings because they did not know if Council would allow them to continue. However, she said the group is interested in its work and that there are things that need to be done. Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter, who chairs the audit committee, said there is a need to improve staff support for the commission. Council Member Leslie Pool made a motion to continue the Tourism Commission with greater staff support, which won unanimous approval.