March 21, 2022 Approved Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes

Tourism Commission March 21, 2022 - 3 pm Hybrid via Video Conferencing and City Hall Board and Commissions Room 1101 301 W. Second St. Austin, Texas 78701 MINUTES In Attendance: Greg Chanon Ed Bailey Rachel Magee Bill Bunch Ken Smith John Riedie Mike Cannatti Absence: Alta Alexander Lois Rodriguez Staff and Other In Attendance: Felicia Ojeda, Austin Convention Center Department, Staff liaison 1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER a. Meeting called to order at 3:04 pm by Vice Chair, Rachel Magee 2. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS: a. No Public Communications 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. Approval of the February 14, 2021, minutes. i. Commissioner Smith moved to approve the minutes. Commissioner Chanon seconded the motion. February minutes received unanimous approval votes by commissioners.  4. OLD BUSINESS The Commission discussed the following agenda item: a. Election of the Chair position i. Vice Chair Rachel Magee was nominated by all Commissioners. ii. Commissioner Smith moved to vote for Vice Chair Magee to be Chair. Commissioner Riedie seconded the motion. Vice Chair Magee received an unanimous approval votes to Chair. iii. Chair Magee moved to have an election for the vice chair position. b. Discussed remaining meeting schedule for 2022. i. Commissioner Chanon moved to set the remaining meetings to meet on the third Wednesday of each month from 3pm- 5pm. Commissioner Cannatti seconded the motion. New meeting timeframe received unanimous approval votes by commissioners. 5. NEW BUSINESS The Commission discussed the following agenda item: a. Report from the Parks and Environment Working Group on any updates or make new i. Commissioner Cannatti updated the board on the new appointed members of the appointments working group. a. Joy Casnovsky, Austin Parks Foundation b. Report from the TPID working group on any updates or make new appointments. i. Commissioner Riedie had no new announcements c. Report on the HOT collection by month to indicate how the industry is doing i. Written report was shared and distributed to board ii. Commissioner Bailey requested the following: a. a report or a narrative of what the impact of the current funds and what is looks like historically b. Where we disperse the money c. What the cutbacks have been because of the steep decline of the HOT collection 1. What the ramifications of its uses in all aspects (all the ones that were listed on the reported shared during the meeting) 2. Particularly the ones with Historic Preservation a. A better perspective of: how we market tourism, cultural arts funding, what we work with and what is used to do versus what it can do now, and how to look forward of what we’re aiming towards to get more resources for the intended uses. iii. Commissioner Smith and Riedie requested a year-to-year comparison of all different funds. iv. Commissioner Riedie requested information on the Tourism Promotion Fund a. Receives money by both statue and the convention center b. Flow of the funds v. Commissioner Cannatti requested a specify FY by October 20XX to September 20XX vi. Commissioner Bunch requested a display of the HOT collections over past years and all the different funds to a comparison column of the Convention Center data a. Side-by-side comparison b. Compare HOT collection growth to convention growth vii. Commissioner Smith requested information on the Historical Preservation Fund a. Grown or gone down b. Revenues (up or down) viii. Commissioner Bailey request information on how Hotel Occupancy Tax collection and distributions invest back into HOT collection funds ix. Chair Magee request that the board take the time to review the HOT collection report and share any other written questions or requests to the staff liaison. x. Commissioner Smith request that all written questions regarding the HOT collections be emailed to staff liaison by end of week, Friday, March 25, 2022. d. Report from Heritage Preservation Division on grant awards and distribution of HOT funds for Historic Preservation been awarded for 2022 i. Written response from Division Manager, Melissa Alvarado, that no grants have ii. Commissioners request a list of grants given for 2020 and 2021 iii. Commissioner Cannatti request a list of the investments through the Parks Department for their historic projects e. Discuss Bylaws Article 2 Section B i. Staff liaison will address any typos on the document 6. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS The Commission may discuss and identify future agenda items, topics, or presentations. a. Presentation from the Austin Convention Center on the redevelopment and expansion project and an update of the finance reports of the project b. Presentation from Professor Heywood Sanders regarding convention center expansions c. Presentation on how the hospitality workers and those that work in live events, including art organizations are impacted by the current economic state d. Discuss the state law, chapter 334, that does not allow hotel taxes to be utilized on watershed protection and preservation projects i. Request city staff to provide more information and insight in this state law ii. Request Brie Franco, Intergovernmental Relations Officer, to discuss legislative session briefings a. Commissioner Smith will follow-up on legislative research b. Commissioner Riedie will follow-up on TPID research e. Discuss possible budget recommendations 7. ADJOURNMENT a. Vice Chair Magee adjourn the meeting at 4:15 pm. The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call or email Felicia 512.404.4022, Ojeda felicia.ojeda@austintexas.gov. for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Tourism Commission, please contact Felicia Ojeda at 512.404.4022, felicia.ojeda@austintexas.gov. Department, Convention Austin Center the at at