Visitor Impact Task Force Regular Meeting of the Visitor Impact Task Force - This meeting will be at the Palmer Events Center in Meeting Rooms 1-3 from 3pm-6pm.
Visitor Impact Task Force May 2, 2017 3:00pm Palmer Events Center Meeting Room 1-3 900 Barton Springs Rd. Austin, TX 78704 CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Gavin Garcia - Music Industry Representative Catlin Whitington - Music Industry Representative Lulu Flores - Arts Community Representative MariBen Ramsey - Arts Community Representative James Russell - Special Events Industry Representative Julie Niehoff - Special Events Industry Representative Tom Noonan - Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau Representative Shelly Schadegg - Hotel Industry Representative Bill Worsham - Public Safety Community Representative Alyson McGee - Preservation Community Representative Dan Keshet - Parks Community Representative Mark Tester - Convention Center Representative Dewitt Peart - Downtown Commission Representative Ashwin Ghatalia - Tourism Workforce Representative Stephen Sternschein - Tourism Workforce Representative Jonathan Mahone - Community Member Representative Pam Thompson - Environmental Community Representative Skeeter Miller - Restaurant Industry Representative Richard Mendoza - Public Works Department Representative (ex-officio) AGENDA 1. CALL TO ORDER: 3:00pm 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. From the April 25, 2017 meeting 3. OLD BUSINESS a. Discussion and possible action from the public participation from SpeakUpAustin.org b. Discussion and possible action to make recommendations from initial ideas from each Task Force member to recommend to City Council in future report. 4. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL a. Citizens wishing to speak will need to sign up ten minutes before the meeting calls for Citizen Communications at 5:30pm. Citizen communications will be limited to the first ten speakers and each citizen communicator will be given three minutes to speak. 5. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS a. Discussion and possible action to make recommendations on items for future agendas. 6. ADJOURNMENT 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 Larry Schooler at Communication and Public Information Office Department, at 512.974.6004, larry.schooler@austintexas.gov for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Visitor Impact Task Force, please contact Felicia Ojeda at 512.404.4022, felicia.ojeda@austintexas.gov.
Visitor Impact Task Force May 2, 2017 3:00pm Palmer Events Center Meeting Room 1-3 900 Barton Springs Rd. Austin, TX 78704 MINUTES In Attendance: Gavin Garcia - Music Industry Representative Catlin Whitington - Music Industry Representative Lulu Flores - Arts Community Representative MariBen Ramsey - Arts Community Representative James Russell - Special Events Industry Representative Shelly Schadegg - Hotel Industry Representative Bill Worsham - Public Safety Community Representative Dan Keshet - Parks Community Representative Mark Tester - Convention Center Representative Dewitt Peart - Downtown Commission Representative Jonathan Mahone - Community Member Representative Pam Thompson - Environmental Community Representative Richard Mendoza - Public Works Department Representative (ex-officio) Absent: Julie Niehoff - Special Events Industry Representative Tom Noonan - Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau Representative Alyson McGee - Preservation Community Representative Ashwin Ghatalia - Tourism Workforce Representative Stephen Sternschein - Tourism Workforce Representative Skeeter Miller - Restaurant Industry Representative Staff and Others In Attendance: Mark Washington, ACM Larry Schooler, CPIO, Facilitator Carla Steffen, Austin Convention Center Department Felicia Ojeda, Austin Convention Center Department Steve Genovesi, Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau Representative for Tom Noonan Mike Cannatii, Barton Springs Conservancy, Parks/ Historic Coalition Scott Joslove, Texas Hotel & Lodging Association Rowona Dash, Neill-Cochran House Museum Sinclair Black, Architect AGENDA 1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER a. Meeting called to order at 3:03pm by Chair James Russell 2. Approval of Minutes from April 25, 2017 Meeting, all voters approved minus the absence of Task Force Members, Julie Niehoff, Tom Noonan, Alyson McGee, Ashwin Ghatalia, Stephen Sternschein and Skeeter Miller 3. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL (Split-3:06pm) a. Mike Cannatii, Barton Springs Conservancy, Parks/ Historic Coalition 4. OLD BUSINESS a. Larry Schooler discussed SpeakUpAustin.org b. Discussion on recommendations from each Task Force members to deliver to the City Council. 5. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: 5:30pm a. Scott Joslove, Texas Hotel & Lodging Association b. Rowona Dash, Neill-Cochran House Museum c. Sinclair Black, Architect 6. OLD BUSINESS – Recommendation Vote a. All Task Force members voted on the Austin Convention Center Expansion Recommendation minus the absence of Task Force Members, Julie Niehoff, Tom Noonan, Alyson McGee, Ashwin Ghatalia, Stephen Sternschein and Skeeter Miller i. 1- NO ii. 1- Not agree, but iii. 5- Agree, if iv. 6- YES 7. ADJOURNMENT a. Meeting Adjourned at 5:50pm 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. …
YES -RECOMMENDATION –NOBREAKDOWNNoDon’t Agree, butNeutral, howeverAgree, ifYes5/2/2017 AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSIONRecommendation BreakdownNo1-voteDon’t Agree, but1-voteNeutral, however0-votesAgree, if5-votesYes6-votes5/2/2017 AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSIONRecommendation Breakdown5/2/2017•No CommentNo•No, But if it is going through, we should articulate the case against for the record.Don’t Agree, but•If, no 2% increaseAgree, if•If, Palm School, MACC, Red River district projects are included. (2% Ch 351 increase) Agree, if•-Urban design thought through –street, sidewalks, -access•-Save money, improve space through sharing buildingAgree ,if•If, there is a clear set of recs for the expansion of money dedicated to music, historically under replentedgroups and dupmnt. of tourist oppsin historically under represented districts.Agree, if•If, includes 2B & Public Realm well DesignedAgree, if•No commentYes•No commentYes•No commentYes•Yes, with 2BYes•Yes, with 2BYes•Yes, excess % of funds used to support other areas without decreasing funding already in placeYes
May 1, 2017 Dear Visitor Impact Task Force Members: In previous meetings, the Task Force has been encouraged to “think big” in making its recommendations on how to best use hotel occupancy tax (HOT) revenue to impact tourism. Along these lines, we are hopeful that you will recommend creating a new “Parks and Historic Preservation Tourism Fund” as requested in the attached four-point “ask” by the parks and historic preservation advocates. To date, the Task Force discussions about the proposed “Parks and Historic Preservation Tourism Fund” have focused on funding “historic” projects which are clearly allowable uses under Chapter 351 of the Texas Tax Code. However, comments and questions at the last meeting suggest that the Task Force may be overlooking the fact that “visitor information center” projects are also allowable uses under state law that could be funded with the proposed “Parks and Historic Preservation Tourism Fund.” In support, I refer the Task Force members to the excellent publication referenced in Mr. Joslove’s comments last week, What Cities Need to Know to Administer Municipal Hotel Occupancy Taxes. In that publication, it clearly states that state law allows the “Funding the establishment, improvement, or maintenance of a … visitor information center.” See, Texas Tax Code § 351.101(a)(1) (“Revenue from the municipal hotel occupancy tax may be used only to promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry, and that use is limited to the following: (1) the acquisition of sites for and the construction, improvement, enlarging, equipping, repairing, operation, and maintenance of … visitor information centers”). State law also broadly defines the term “visitor information center” as “a building or a portion of a building used to distribute or disseminate information to tourists.” See, Texas Tax Code § 351.001(8). It should also be noted that “visitor information centers” are not required to be “primarily used to host conventions and meetings,” as that requirement applies to “convention center facilities,” but not “visitor information centers.” See, Texas Tax Code § 351.001(2) and (8). As seen from the foregoing, state law does allow HOT funding of “visitor information center” projects, provided that such projects also promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry. Examples of such projects were included in the March 28 presentation, including the proposed “Visitor Education Center” at Zilker Park which would distribute or disseminate park and environmental education information to welcome, guide, and orient tourist and visitors to the …
How Can We Make Tourism Help Our City the Most? Closed May 12, 2017 · Discussion · 27 Participants · 3 Topics · 69 Answers · 35 Replies · 19 Votes273693519PARTICIPANTSTOPICSANSWERSREPLIESVOTESSUMMARY OF TOPICSTOURISTS' CHALLENGING IMPACTS 4 Answers · 1 RepliesWhat are some of the greatest challenges posed by tourism and tourists? Seth Goodman · Citizen · (Postal Code: unknown) · Apr 25, 2017 10:44 pm 0 VotesTourists + rental cars = sad AustinitesTourists are at their worst when they are driving. Many Americans are most likely to use transit, walk, and bike while they are on vacation. We should be encouraging that to the greatest extent possible.Tourists are also a problem when they become concentrated in too small of a space. Around the convention center, we have started to create a quarter of the city that is exclusively hotels, chain restaurants aimed at catering to the lowest common denominator of taste, parking, and of course the convention center itself. Austinites generally avoid this area because it feels sterile, lacks diversity of uses, and because giant ballrooms filled with this year's hottest trends in tile and carpet are nobody's idea of a good time. It shows when there's no convention on because the streets around the convention center become a dead zone. In order for tourists to have the positive impact on the local economy that is often boasted, they need to get out and spread out and thatmeans we should distribute hotels more evenly around the walkable parts of town.Response:Coapublic Information · Admin · (Postal Code: unknown) · Apr 26, 2017 9:55 am Thanks for your comments, Seth! -ModeratorTim Altanero · Citizen · (Postal Code: unknown) · Apr 29, 2017 1:50 am 1 VotesI don't mind tourists at all.We are addressing the hotel room shortage downtown pretty well, I think.What's problematic - and this is not caused by tourists - is the lack of viable public transport. Running more busses is fine, in theory, but they are in traffic too.1 of 14Full Report How Can We Make Tourism Help Our City the Most? Closed May 12, 2017 · Discussion · 27 Participants · 3 Topics · 69 Answers · 35 Replies · 19 VotesWe need to think about the city longterm and invest in that longterm future. Yes, it will cost, but if you think about what you pay for your car every year, and how much time you spend in …
