THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 26, 1995 TAG: 9505260534
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
A new board that will decide how $50,000 in local tourism money is spent in the coming year struggled to establish an identity Thursday.
The six-member panel of three Elizabeth City and three Pasquotank County appointees held an informal lunch session at the Holiday Inn. The only item on the group's unwritten agenda was figuring out what its role will be.
``Can we actually try to develop tourism,'' asked Patsy Houtz, a county businesswoman, ``or do we just dispense those funds?''
The Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Tourism Board was created last month by a joint city and county ordinance. The board's job is to allocate occupancy-tax revenues that go into a new tourism fund.
For the fiscal year starting July 1, the fund will contain $50,000. In the coming years, the city and county each will contribute half of their previous year's occupancy tax earnings.
For seven years, the tax has netted Elizabeth City up to $110,000 that could be used for tourism or for public facilities. The city kept the money in its general fund, which raised some questions about whether enough money was going to tourism activities, said Pasquotank County Manager Randy Keaton.
This is the first year the county will be entitled to half the funds generated by the tax, and Board of Commissioners Chairman Zee Lamb recommended creating the joint board to oversee spending the tourism money.
Keaton, who serves as an advisory member to the board with City Manager Ralph Clark, told the group that its role was still ``fuzzy.''
``It's certainly appropriate for the board to look at being proactive,'' Keaton said. ``You can choose not to fund things that don't fit into your objectives.''
The ordinance creating the board says the group will receive requests for grants from nonprofit corporations and that ``grants shall be used only to develop, promote and advertise travel and tourism in Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County or to sponsor tourist-oriented events and activities.''
Among the agencies that will now have to ask the tourism board for funds is the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce, which formerly received about $10,000 from each the city and the county.
But board members differed on whether they should simply dole out money to groups that ask for it or take steps on their own to promote tourism.
``Why not define a future view for Elizabeth City and tourism?'' offered Judy Smith of Culpepper.
Houtz also pushed for a broader role for the board.
``I think tourism could become one of our biggest industries here,'' she said. ``It's very shortsighted of us to just spend the money status-quo.''
Board members Bill Rich, a real estate developer, and Jeff Mitchell, a banker, cautioned that the board could go too far in developing action plans. They said other agencies such as the Northeastern North Carolina Economic Development Commission also are working on regional tourism.
Rich said he had already received three requests for funding from the board and that the group's primary role should be to hear and decide on such requests.
The group, which could take no formal action because it had not organized the gathering under North Carolina's open meetings law, agreed to meet again Tuesday and hammer out its mission.
``I think we have to look long-term and not short-term,'' said Robert Zodda, general manager of the Holiday Inn. ``If the city and the county want to create tourism, then in my view you have to create something to come visit.
``I see this as where do we take this money and spend it so that we can create tourism and business opportunity down the road.''
Also on the board is Yvonne Wagner, interim director of university relations at Elizabeth City State University. by CNB