By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

There will no longer be a Geary County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Advisory Committee. The Geary County Commission adopted a resolution on a 3-0 vote Monday to dissolve the committee.

Commissioner Keith Ascher said the issue was discussed with members of the Advisory Committee who were supportive of the idea and that CVB Director Michelle Stimatze was also asked about it. “And she thought it was appropriate, so we took action today ( Monday ) to dissolve that committee. So now it ( CVB ) will strictly be in the hands of the county commissioners, which makes more sense.” Ascher added it does streamline things and removes a layer of  bureaucracy.

Ascher stated he thought it probably allows the director to do more of what she needs to be doing. ” I think her goal in place of a committee is that she would have monthly meetings with hotelers. It wouldn’t be as formal but she would get input from them trying to increase some of our conventions, conferences and reunions…just all across the board.”

Ascher confirmed those numbers have not been down, and in 2018 the county was up approximately $40,000 in transient guest tax collections over 2017.

One of the problems involved difficulty getting a quorum for committee meetings. Ascher said that was part of the issue. “Basically they were just an advisory board. At the end of the day the decisions always come down to the county commissioners.  And frankly when we pulled the CVB out of ( Chamber ) consolidation the goal was to have a little more control from the county side. Once we did that virtually, the director of the CVB became kind of a department head.” Ascher added with the latest action it fits more closely with how the commission works with other departments and department heads where there are not any committees. “It just kind of falls more in line with what we’re doing already.”

The CVB Advisory Committee was first established in Geary County in 1978.