The Marshall County Tourism Commission met Thursday at the Marshall County Blueberry Festival offices for its first public meeting.
The first item on the agenda was the election of officers. Brian Teal was elected President, Wyatt Stevens Vice President, Tracy Hoyne Treasurer, and Angle Balsley Secretary. Other members in attendance were Jim Hartung and Matt Hovermale. Mark D’Amore was unable to attend the first meeting.
County Attorney Jim Clevenger attended the meeting and gave a brief history of the Convention, Recreation and Visitors Commission. In 1991, the commissioners adopted an ordinance establishing a uniform lodging tax with seven members representing each community. Appointees included one from the county commissioners, one from the Plymouth mayor, one from the Argos Town Council and one from the Bourbon Town Council. Appointments were also made by the Bremen, Culver and Plymouth chambers of commerce. The original lodging tax rate was set at 3%.
Shortly after commissioners enacted the ordinance, a nonprofit corporation was formed called the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc. Clevenger said the nonprofit is still active today, with officers including President Mark VanderWeel, Vice President Debbie Seyrokh, Treasurer Linda Rippey, Secretary Kim Burger and Director of Operations Jessica Beatty.
Clevenger said the Marshall County Council passed an ordinance in 2010 increasing the lodging tax to 5 percent.
Just a few years ago, a group that included some Culver natives began questioning whether lodging taxes were being distributed fairly among the communities that collect most of the taxes. At that point, state law had changed and it was discovered that the makeup of the county commission didn’t comply. Most of the commissioners were in the tourism industry and were supposed to be appointed by the county commissioners and the mayors of the largest municipalities in the county.
The new tourism board has asked the county attorney to request information from the old board, including meeting minutes, financial details and website ownership information.
The Marshall County Tourist Board proposed hiring Jim Clevenger as legal counsel on a short-term basis to help get the board up and running. Clevenger will also help determine the status between the new Tourist Board and the currently existing non-profit 501C6. Members also considered insurance for the board and discussed obtaining a post office box for mailings since they do not have a permanent location and bank account information.
