Dear CVB Board,
If you hired a CEO who drafted a budget containing only 12 lines to explain how the Chattanooga Hamilton County Convention Bureau (CVB) plans to spend $8.4 million of Hamilton County’s hotel motel money, you need to do your duty and give the CEO some immediate guidance.
When we citizens elect our county commissioners, we expect them to closely review the budgets of the organizations that receive OUR tax dollars.
Believe it or not, the hotel motel taxes DO belong to local citizens.
Commissioner Tim Boyd is absolutely correct. When an organization receives $8.4 million of Hamilton County’s hotel motel taxes, that organization should be willing to share a detailed budget with its duly elected commissioners. A 12-line budget can only mean one of two things - either the CVB intends to spend $8.4 million and they believe taxpayers and their commissioners don’t need to know anything about it or the new CEO doesn’t understand his responsibilities. If the first reason is accurate, that’s appalling and insulting.
The Chattanooga/Hamilton County Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) needs to understand that it can market Chattanooga only because citizens pay to supply tourists with the infrastructure and special services which make downtown an inviting place to visit. Taxpayers, not the CVB, paid for the superior downtown tourist amenities, extra police coverage, extra trash pickup, and public works people to close streets for special events like the Ironman Race, Riverbend event and various local marathons. Taxpayers paid for the parking decks that adjoin the convention center. Citizens paid millions of dollars for these and other items to make tourists feel special.
Despite this, lowly taxpayers must wander around the city to avoid the streets that are closed for events. Many citizens avoid downtown, because parking is non-existent unless we can afford to pay “an arm and a leg” for paid parking. The downtown streets look great. Meanwhile, our neighborhood streets are abysmal because the majority of road dollars are dedicated to downtown renovations and park remodels that primarily benefit tourists.
CVB Board members: If you read the 12-line budget and were satisfied with the detail please do the right thing and resign now. Your talents would best be used doing something else.
CVB CEO: Send the real budget to the County Commissioners immediately or prepare to self-fund your organization next year.
Deborah Scott