County pays to be in tourism pact with towns

By Brook R. Corwin
brook@surrymessenger.com

Even without its own occupancy tax, the county is likely to soon join up with Surry’s four municipalities in a partnership for joint tourism promotion.
County commissioners gave approval Monday to take around $21,000 out of their general fund in order to get voting representation in the new partnership. That amount is a third of the estimated revenues an as-yet-unapproved 6 percent occupancy tax would collect this year, the same percentage each municipality is contributing to be voting members of the partnership.
With those collections starting next July 1, the pooled occupancy tax revenue is projected to earn about $150,000 for the partnership. The county’s contribution will add to that total, which is being used to promote and market the county as a whole.
Valerie Oberle, chairwoman of the partnership, said Tuesday that each member of the executive committee has indicated a willingness to bring the county on board provided it chips in. A vote will be taken during the committee’s next meeting Aug. 6.
“Everyone is extremely in favor of it,” Oberle said. “They agree that this is the best way to go.”
The executive committee, which votes on all expenditures of the pooled funds, now has one representative each from Pilot Mountain, Mount Airy, Elkin and Dobson. A fifth seat was held open for the county when commissioners voted last spring to request an occupancy tax for unincorporated areas.
But the tax request hit a roadblock in the General Assembly when Sen. Don East, R-Pilot Mountain, declined to sign off on the legislation. New ethics rules require that any local bills introduced during short sessions be signed off by the area’s entire legislative delegation before they can be brought up for a full vote.
During long sessions, however, that requirement doesn’t apply. Rep. Jim Harrell III, D-Alleghany, has said he’ll reintroduce the bill next year and doesn’t except enough opposition to derail it during a floor vote. Harrell introduced occupancy tax legislation for Pilot Mountain, Dobson and Elkin last year and those bills sailed through with relative ease.
Chris Knopf, the county’s assistant manager for tourism and economic development, said Monday that since the occupancy tax should be approved next year, it makes sense not to wait on joining the partnership. Knopf has been attending the partnership’s meetings and offering input, but doesn’t have a vote on approving expenditures.
Knopf noted that the partnership is already devising a brand for the county and is designing advertisements for tourism publications. Waiting a year might keep attractions and businesses in unincorporated areas from being represented in those marketing efforts.
It’s still undetermined who will represent the county on the partnership’s executive committee. Commissioners are in the final stages of putting together a six-person board that will decide on how to spend the proceeds of the occupancy tax. Knopf said someone on that committee would be nominated to serve on the tourism partnership’s executive committee.