The executive director of the Osage County Tourism Bureau said July 16 that rules for the agency and its oversight board have been written and are being reviewed by attorneys.
County commissioners expressed interest in enacting an ordinance that would bring more structure to the tourism development effort at their March 25 meeting. Skiatook District 2 Commissioner Steve Talbert emphasized his interest in the change. Commissioners also voted at that meeting to approve a contract extension for Executive Director Mary Ann Moore.
Talbert told the Pawhuska Journal-Capital he would like to see what the proposed ordinance would look like.
“I’d like to see what they’ve written and where we are on that. That’s a good thing,” Talbert said.
The Osage County Tourism Bureau is funded by revenues collected through a hotel room tax. The Board of Supervisors meets monthly to decide whether to use the hotel room tax to promote events that appeal to both residents and potential visitors. The Board’s membership is primarily made up of businesses and community organizations with a direct interest in attracting tourists.
More: New Pauhuska map showcases local history
Pawhuska is the county seat, but not the most populous town in the county, and has benefited greatly from an increase in tourism over the past decade. It’s the capital of the Osage Nation and home to Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond. Pawhuska is a few miles south of the conservation group’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, home to a herd of bison, and a significant portion of Martin Scorsese’s film “Killers of the Flower Moon” was shot in Pawhuska.
The Osage County Tourist Association’s ordinance was requested by Moore County commissioners after several residents criticized the association and its board.
Other changes have also occurred in the past few months. Pawhuska business owner Randy Chesbro became chair of the Board of Supervisors. She replaces Wayne Ray Mitchell of Burbank, who is also a member of the board. In addition, the Osage County Tourism Bureau has gained new office space in Pawhuska’s Community Center, located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Main Street and Lynn Avenue. The relatively new Osage Nation Visitor Center is located on the southwest corner of the same intersection.
A look back: Killers of the Flower Moon was filmed in Oklahoma
Michelle Loftis, who runs a lodging business and regularly attends tourism oversight committee meetings, briefly mentioned at the July 16 committee meeting that she was planning a new Pauhuska event in mid-November with a Western Swing music theme. The day before, Laura Teague of Copan, who owns commercial property in Pauhuska, had asked the county commissioners to allow free use of the Agriculture Building at the county fairgrounds for the Western Swing event. On the commission’s agenda, the event was called the 1st Annual Oklahoma Western Swing Festival. The commissioners granted the request.
In other business on July 16, the Tourism Oversight Committee discussed details of the Tourism Agency’s 2024-2025 budget, but no final decisions were made. Cost control was the focus of the budget discussions. The committee expects further budget discussions to take place in August.
