Transient Lodging Tax Committee Minutes
July 23, 2020
Baker County Commission Chambers
Meeting called to order @ 9:01 am by Tyler Brown
Members Present: Loran Joseph and Tyler Brown. Present via teleconference: Lea Gettle, Tori Brown and Chelsea Judy.
Guest Present: Fred Warner, Stacey Delong, Jerry Shaw, Timothy Bishop, Shelly Christensen and Bill Harvey. Present via teleconference: Shelly Cutler, Diane Wroe and Bryan Tweit.
Approve Minutes:
Meeting minutes from June 25, 2020 were reviewed. Loran moved that the minutes be approved and Lea seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Approve Agenda:
Loran suggested that the agenda be changed to move all items that need Committee approval while we have a quorum. Lea moved to approve the agenda with said changes, Loran seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Abatement of Penalty House #158:
Shelly presented a request from House #158 to abate $923.60 in penalties. The request for abatement cited issues pertaining to Covid. Shelly indicated this house requested and received an abatement of penalty in 2018 in the amount of $1,377.42 due to a family members’ surgery. Loran suggested a blanket penalty abatement for houses that receive a penalty during the pandemic. Bill asked the Committee to review each request on a case by case basis rather than a blanket type abatement. Loran moved to abate the penalty in the amount of $923.60 for House #158, Lea seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Grant Request: Brownlee Crappie Shootout V – Jared Rivera
The Brownlee Crappie Shootout V was held June 13, 2020 at Hewitt/Holcomb Parks. There were 22 participants from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Texas. Net proceeds were donated to CASA. Loran moved to award $400 to Brownlee Crappie Shootout V, Chelsea seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Marketing Update: Timothy
Timothy reported seeing a busier than expected month for travel in Baker County, while that is good news it still brings concern as to where visitors are coming from.
The closure of the Canadian border, which brings our largest group of international travelers, is a concern. This closure has been extended through August and likely September which will impact our fall visitor numbers. Also of concern was the Governors update this morning on a potential travel restriction for visitors coming from out-of-state hot spots.
The mandatory use of masks has become an issue for businesses, predominately with locals rather than visitors. Business owners are potentially looking at approaching County or City law enforcement agencies for help.
The Marketing Committee is still working with the Business and Economic Recovery team to develop a best practices response plan outlining how a restaurant can respond if they have an employee test positive or that is identified as a close contact of a positive case.
Timothy went over the details of the Eastern Oregon Media Digital campaign which has been negotiated to run for 90 days rather than 30 days. This campaign will feature Hells Canyon and the Wallowa’s in the first month, the second month will be the Elkhorn Scenic Byway outdoor getaway and the third month will focus on Baker City and the valley floor with arts and culture.
Baker County Board of Commissioners approved the allocation of $25,000 to participate in the Travel Oregon/Expedia cooperative marketing campaign. Changes were made to target areas in response to the pending travel restrictions to promote travel by Oregonians within Oregon.
Events continue to be cancelled due to COVID. The Memory Cruise and Halfway Fair and Rodeo have been added to that list of cancellations. The Powder River Music Revue Sunday Concerts have continued with attendance typically in the 100-150 person range. Due to the location, social distancing is not a problem. The Interpretive Center has moved a lot of their activity outdoors. Timothy expressed concern with the upcoming Demolition Derby. Festival of Trees has been cancelled.
Bill asked if Timothy posted pictures of the Haines Rodeo on the Travel Baker County website. Timothy indicated that he posted a few but was only there for a few hours due to multiple events that weekend. He indicated he posted the link for the livestream from Blue Mountain Translator District.
Bill asked Timothy to provide an expanded presence in Baker with all businesses on the Travel Baker County website. Timothy asked for clarification and Bill explained the Commissioners would like to see pictures and stories on every business in town. Timothy responded that his agreement is to provide tourism and marketing services and there are several businesses in Baker City that are not tourism related businesses. He inquired if this request was related to criticism from a local business not being included in the mask pictures posted to the website. Because we have a lot of businesses that are struggling Bill would like to see a showcase of businesses that are open. Timothy asked for direction from the Committee. Loran clarified Bills request to have every business in Baker County be promoted on social media during the next few months. Bill explained that as we are no longer marketing to people outside our area due to the pandemic we should be marketing local businesses to local residents. Bill also requested that Timothy attend Commission Sessions and provide an update. Timothy said he would be happy to do that. Chelsea suggested getting Economic Development Council and the Chamber to be involved in this request. There was discussion around Timothy’s change in position and schedule due to the pandemic. Bryan (EDC) volunteered to work with Timothy and Shelly Cutler (Chamber) to divide up businesses to achieve this goal. Timothy agreed to work with Bryan and Shelly but recommended reviewing the TLT Statute to make sure that this request qualifies for use of TLT funds.
Tyler asked about the Expedia campaign and if there will be reports provided to track views and bookings. Expedia will provide monthly reports and Timothy will share that information.
Visitor Services Update: Shelly
Shelly read a report which detailed July 2019 weekly average summer visitors in comparison with three days in July 2020. The report also detailed highlights from those three days. These numbers show that current visitors numbers are very similar to the 2019 average.
Diane spoke with several Chamber and Visitor Centers in the region in regards to reopening. Two Centers have been open throughout the pandemic and three Centers reopened during Phase 2. Shelly is requesting direction from TLTC on reopening the Center. Loran asked if Shelly felt they could open the Center safely and if she wanted to do that. She now feels they can operate safely with the exception of no public restroom. The information from the report shows that even though the Center is not marketing for people to visit the area, visitors are still coming and they would like to assist those visitors by providing information. The Commissioners will discuss this at the August 5th meeting. Loran moved to recommend the Commissioners ask BCU to reopen the Baker County Visitors Center. Chelsea seconded the motion. Motion carried. Bill asked Shelly to attend the August 5th Commission Session. Shelly said she would do that.
Financial Reports:
Reports reflecting first quarter lodging tax payments were provided.
Citizen’s Participation:
Jerry Shaw expressed his support of Bill’s idea of marketing local businesses.
Strategic Planning Update: Timothy
None
EDC Update: Bryan
Over the last few months they have been doing a lot of work on their Facebook page and promotions. The number of calls has increased drastically. Bryan gave a brief summary of several potential new businesses coming to Baker County. They have been working with several businesses in developing their social media. He also indicated he received an update report from OSHA that he shared with the EDC board members regarding businesses they visited and complaints they had received. The report indicated that there were no businesses in Eastern Oregon that had any concerns nor were they going to follow up with any concerns on businesses in Eastern Oregon. Bryan said they are currently working on promotions with local businesses in interviewing business owners and asking them what it was like to open a business here and what it took for them to be successful in Eastern Oregon. They are sharing those tips with other businesses. They are also focusing on youth programs, working with FBLA and FFA with business leader support and classes encouraging entrepreneurs to make kids realize they can create and establish businesses and live in Baker County and be successful. They are working to keep information and public notices regarding restrictions on their Facebook page to keep everyone informed and provide contact information to get help.
By-Laws Update: Lea
Shelly will check with Lea for an update.
Staff Comments:
Shelly reported that at the July 1 Commission Session Meeting Commissioners accepted the Committee’s recommendation to appoint Toni Thompson to fill the vacancy created by Lea Gettle’s term expiration.
Bill updated the Committee on Hewitt/Holcomb park activity. They have had great weekends for the past two months. Water levels are now dropping. They are getting a lot of maintenance projects done during the week when camper activity is low. While the water level is down they will be pulling the docks and making repairs and if water levels rise again they will reinstall the docks. Because of the pandemic there are a lot of people enjoying outdoor activities.
Committee Comments:
Chelsea indicated Union Creek and Anthony Lakes campgrounds have been busy. Tyler asked if tracking is done to find out where visitors are coming from. Chelsea reported they have a lot of people from Idaho and the Portland area. Bill asked to remind everyone that fire season is now High which limits camp fires to fire rings.
Tyler asked if Timothy had a list of lodging contacts and if he can check in on them periodically/monthly and if he could give a quick report. Timothy agreed.
Bill shared that Commissioner Bennett is part of the Governor task force on school reopening. This is a tough situation and it may be delayed which will result in an expanded tourism season into the fall.
Loran indicated that he has been re-appointed as Baker City Council’s representative for another term. That nomination will be brought before the Commissioners for approval at their next Session.
Next Meeting:
August 27 2020 @ 9:00 am
Meeting adjourned at 10:04
Respectfully Submitted:
Shelly Christensen