Wednesday, February 19, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
FUNDING: Chamber
receives room tax
revenue for marketing
Continued from page 1
the City spend a portion of
the room-tax revenue to fund
tourism promotion or tourist-
related facilities. The rest of
the revenue goes into the City
general fund to help fund a
variety of City services and
programs.
The Chamber is seeking
a significant increase in the
amount of TRT funding it
receives. In the Chamber9s
annual report to the Council,
Executive Director Judy Trego
requested a $250,000 increase
from the TRT funds for
increased marketing and pro-
motions for Sisters Country,
in order to address a number
of action items outlined in
the Sisters Country Vision.
The current three-year
contract went into effect on
July 1, 2017 and the City and
Chamber may agree to extend
the term of the agreement for
up to three renewal terms of
three years each. Due to the
increase in tourism in the city,
and the results of the Sisters
Country Vision plan, the City
would like to enter into in-
depth negotiations with the
Chamber to assess where
things stand now and where
the two entities go from here.
<The City is looking for-
ward to what can be and
not back on what has been,=
explained City Manager Cory
Misley.
The first meeting took
place last week, with Misley
and City Councilor Michael
Preedin representing the City
and Trego and Nick Beasley,
board chair, representing the
Chamber. Misley indicated
this was the beginning of
negotiations that will occur
over the next several months.
According to Misley, the
City9s fiscal year runs from
July 1 to June 30 and the
Chamber9s budget is based
on a calendar year, so there
is plenty of time to final-
ize a new agreement without
impacting the Chamber9s
2020 budget.
In the Sisters Country
Vision plan focus area
Prosperous Sisters, the
number-wone strategy identi-
fied is to make Sisters a four-
season tourist and visitor des-
tination. The plan would be to
strategically develop Sisters
Country9s tourism and desti-
nation economy, increasing
the number of shoulder season
and winter events and attrac-
tions, such as performances,
festivals, retreats, educational
speaker series, trainings and
sports tournaments.
The actions proposed to
support that strategy include
establishing a Sisters Event
Committee and hiring a full-
time event coordinator, cre-
ating a permanent multi-use
events center, establishing
four-season competitive tour-
naments, developing a Sisters
Country Winter Festival,
encouraging regional events
partnerships, and building an
ice rink and fly-fishing pond.
The lead partners for that
strategy are the City and the
Chamber.
Misley indicated, <The
City is going to take an active
role in making Sisters a four-
season tourist destination.=
He would like to see that goal
expanded to include more
than just new events and ven-
ues. Making the city safe and
accessible is part of the visi-
tor9s experience, such as pos-
sibly contracting for sidewalk
snow removal.
There has never been a
strategic plan developed for
tourism. Misley would like
to be able to have hard-evi-
dence-based conversations
about tourism. He said the
City, Chamber, and citizens
<are all in it together.=
<We9re at a bit of an inter-
section on this subject. Where
do we go from here while
practicing good stewardship
of the City9s dollars?= Misley
said.
The Chamber 9s Trego
offered, <As we move into the
review portion of our contract,
we look forward to continu-
ing the 42-year partnership
we have had with the City in
our efforts to draw overnight
visitors in shoulder and winter
seasons.=
In fiscal 2002-03, the
City collected $155,102 in
transient room taxes and the
Chamber received 28 percent
of that amount or $43,861.
In 2012-13, the figures were
$330,912 TRT collected with
$109,201 or 33 percent to the
Chamber.
In 2017-18, the new
contract set a cap of
$250,000 from the TRT
for the Chamber. That year
the Chamber9s $250,000
amounted to 42 percent of the
TRT, which was $594,874.
By 2018-19, the TRT pro-
ceeds came to $648,398 and
the $250,000 was 39 percent
of the total.
Those increases are
reflective of the same trend
throughout Central Oregon.
County room tax revenues
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rose from $3,009,283 in 2002
to $7,035,980 in 2018. All
told, in 2018 Central Oregon
had more than 4.5 million
overnight visitors with direct
spending of more than $830
million for a total economic
impact that exceeded $1
billion.
The Chamber9s requested
increase would devote
$50,000 for recruiting an
event coordinator, $50,000
for Sisters winter and shoul-
der seasons activities pro-
motion and collaboration,
$25,000 for increased Visitor
Center hours, $25,000 for a
marketing social media pro-
gram, $50,000 for a campaign
to promote Sisters as an arti-
sanal center, and increased
visibility in the Portland/
Seattle/Northern California
markets.
They are also requesting a
five-year building lease.
According to state law,
the City would be required
to provide the Chamber with
$185,000, which is less than
the $250,000 the City has
provided over each of the last
three years.
Trego pointed out, <We
leverage outside dollars from
visitors to enhance our com-
munity with stabilized, year-
round jobs, community devel-
opment, and a growing menu
of artistic and cultural events
like the Sisters Rodeo, the
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show,
the Sisters Folk Festival, and
other activities for everyone
living in Sisters.=
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