City Council Meeting, August 2, Staff Update—Police Chief Dave Towe introduced Crystal Lewis as the department’s new Clerk. She replaces Kathy Tiller who went to work in the Jackson County court system as an assistant for Judge Joe Charter. Lewis has 27 years of experience including positions as a records clerk, communications & dispatch officer. Chief Towe also welcomed and introduced Police Officer Malik Evans, who’s been with the department for 8 months. Sadly, Towe reported that Officer Bill Lupton will be leaving the department after 22 years. Bill is moving to Florida with his new wife. This August also marks the 30-year anniversary for Administrator Jeff Alvis and the 31st for Chief Towe with the city.

Controversy Erupts Between Council and Chamber—On August 2, Council voted to adjust the percentage of funding granted to the Chamber of Commerce to operate the Visitor Information Center and trolley. The vote occurred immediately after council discussed creating a new museum…seen by some as poor timing. Now, instead of receiving 50% of bed taxes as stipulated by ordinance to operate the VIC and do town marketing, Council will allocate 30% of bed taxes to the Chamber for operations of the VIC. Council articulated that if the Chamber needs additional marketing funds to promote Jacksonville as a destination, that the 20% of tax receipts now being withheld would be available, provided the Chamber can convince Council of the need. For context, Transient Lodging Funds (bed taxes) are collected by lodging owners who pass the 9% fee on to guests and then remit those funds to the city which has traditionally allocated half to the Chamber and half for non-profit grants. Those grant applications/presentations are heard by the Transient Lodging Tax Committee and sent to Council for approval. Staff argued that a large increase in bed taxes due to a spike in overnight stays, resulted in the collection of funds far beyond what the Chamber of Commerce “needs” to operate the VIC. Separating VIC funding and Chamber marketing operations appears to be the goal of staff and council, although one can argue the two have been and will be forever linked.

The Chamber argued that marketing Jacksonville as a destination post-pandemic requires more marketing funds to succeed and to compete with other cities. The Council decided that the status quo should suffice and voted to essentially keep VIC funding in-line with pre-pandemic years. The Lodging Tax Committee recommended that Council leave Chamber funding at 50% to allow the Chamber to institute its post-Covid marketing program and operate the VIC. (Editor’s note: for the first time in my 14-years serving on the TLT Committee, Council ignored the recommendation of the TLT.)

In a press release, the Chamber of Commerce exclaimed, “In a unanimous decision…the Jacksonville City Council voted to defund the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce’s annual budget by 40% …this summer, the contract between the City and the Chamber was also up for renewal and the City saw it as an opportunity to retain the additional funds that should have gone to the Chamber, according to the contract agreement. Instead, they have retained those funds to manage themselves and use for other unknown purposes.”

As mentioned, Council publicly discussed using bed taxes to fund a new museum…the idea of current City Councilor Ken Gregg. The new museum would be in Old City Hall and act as a starting point for walking and docent-led tours, as well as lectures and other programs. Although the County Museum failed financially and was closed as a result, (now New City Hall) Council has embraced the concept and voted to move forward with plans to explore a new museum. There was no discussion as to why the City should not apply for bed tax grants to operate/fund a museum as other entities would be expected to do. In the aftermath, Mayor Donna Bowen reached out to the media, providing an explanation on the Council action, an excerpted copy of which may be found on the previous page.

It’s a Race!—In the November General Election, Jacksonville voters will have a choice to fill three City Council seats. Candidates who filed with the city are: Ken Gregg, Incumbent, Ryan Hess, Jerome (Jerry) Pendzick, Megan Kimball, Andrew Hellenthal and Talon Reed. Look for a candidate statement from each in the October issue of the Review. Jackson County Elections Division will begin mailing ballots on October 21, 2022.