Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.1 11-29-2022 CGCVB Minutes COTTAGE GROVE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU MINUTES CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS November 29, 2022 A meeting of the Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau was held on the 29th day of November, 2022, at 7:30 a.m. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:30 a.m. by Chairman Steve Dennis. ROLL CALL Jamie Mann, Assistant to the City Administrator, called the roll: Members Present: Steve Dennis, Chairman - Here Justin Olsen, Vice Chair - Here Steve Hanson, Director - Here Gretchen Larson, Director - Arrived after Roll Call Laurie Levine, Director - Here Druscilla Nute, Director - Arrived after Roll Call Members Absent: Renee Bade, Director Staff Present: Jennifer Levitt, City Administrator Jaime Mann, Assistant to the City Administrator Julie Prior-Miller, Marketing and Communication Specialist Others Present: Jason Sanders, Executive Director, Dodge Nature Center Sonja Fox, Holiday Train Committee Member Randy Bachman, Co-Chair of Holiday Train 2022 Committee 3.1 ADOPTION OF AGENDA Vice Chair Olsen made a motion to approve Adoption of the Agenda. The motion was seconded by Director Levine. Motion passed unanimously (4-to-0 vote). APPROVAL OF MINUTES 4.1 Approval of Meeting Minutes CGCVB 8-23-2022 Approval of the August 23, 2022 Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau Meeting Minutes. Director Levine made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from August 23, 2022. The motion was seconded by Vice Chair Olsen. The motion passed unanimously (4-to-0 vote). BUSINESS ITEMS 5.1 Update from Dodge Nature Center/Shepard Farm and the Holiday Train Committee Specialist Julie Prior-Miller introduced Jason Sanders, the Executive Director at the Dodge Nature Center, who will update us on the Dodge Nature Center and the future of Shepard Farm. Director Sanders stated he’s the Executive Director of the Dodge Nature Center and Preschool, where they provide exceptional experiences in nature through environmental education. He reviewed Dodge Nature Center’s background, as they’re still getting to know the Cottage Grove community: They were founded in 1967 and were one of the first nature centers in Minnesota; now, they’re actually the longest standing nature center in Minnesota. They served the communities of West St. Paul and Mendota Heights for many years and now, proudly, also Cottage Grove. Their trails City of Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau November 29, 2022 Page 2 of 7 are open every day at no cost. Providing environmental and agricultural education is the heart of what they do. They have a nature-based preschool on site at their West St. Paul campus, with field trips and school groups coming to us, and also do outreach, where they take their programming out into the community; they take their chickens, reptiles, and amphibians on the road. They have public family programs on weekends and evenings, so you can attend a program and learn a little bit about environmental education. Of course, they also have community events. Shepard Farm: Is located at 70th and Jamaica; it’s an old country farm, and a family used that area to pretend they were up north at the cabin. There’s a country mansion and the farm area so they had high interest in it in order to bring environmental education to a new community. He played a video to give more information about their organization: The Cottage Grove trails opened on April 2, 2022. Also, your family can grow vegetables, fruits, and flowers in the rich organic soil of the community gardens. Weeklong day camps will get your child outdoors on sunny summer days where they can stretch their legs and minds. There’s now a new chapter in the long history of this land brought to you by Dodge Nature Center, so bring your family and friends for nature programs in every season. Together, you can learn, you can grow, and you can find your fun at Shepard Farm in the beauty of the big woods, farm fields, and prairie grasses here in Cottage Grove. Come nourish your need for nature. Director Sanders stated some of the most familiar questions they get are: What are you guys doing back there? What do we get to do? What happens at Dodge? He provided the following information: Timeline: 2013, Property acquired from the Wilder Foundation; 2014-2021, they piloted a number of programs out there to get their feet wet and understand what the community wanted. April, 2022: Trails opening day, with over 500 attendees. Improvements on the Site: Paved driveway and parking lot, restrooms and handwashing station, new roofs, new pole barn for animals, renovated chicken coop, and a new turkey pen made by students from the GAP School in St. Paul. He noted volunteerism plays a huge part in what they do; a number of Cottage Grove businesses have already stepped up to help them. Early Programs & Events: Community gardens; Beekeeping; Summer camps; Farm-to-table dinners; Annual benefit; Animals in the pastures. 2022: Trails opened April 2; First adult class for keeping chickens; Volunteers onsite; New summer camps; New family programs; Expanded outreach; Halloween Event on October 29, with 1,300 attendees. Future Cottage Grove Plans: Development & Conservation: Education Center opens in 2023; Continued removal of invasive species (buckthorn & garlic mustard). Expanded Programs: Adult programs; School field trips and classroom programs; Expanded outreach opportunities; Agricultural education fellowship for college graduates. New Partnerships: Cottage Grove community; Nuevas Fronteras. Education Center, 2023: The outside historic mansion look will remain the same. The main level will have two new classrooms, a teaching kitchen for children and adults, ADA-compliant restrooms, an elevator, and a patio. The upper level will have new offices, workstation areas, and a conference room. Director Sanders stated they want people to enjoy nature all year long and look forward to being a part of the Cottage Grove community. He stated he’d be happy to answer any questions; they’re looking forward to the next phase of Shepard Farm in Cottage Grove. Chairman Dennis thanked Director Sanders for his presentation; he noted it’s very exciting to see all of the new opportunities and programs that will be coming online. He’s excited to see this finally come to fruition. He also noted that due to today’s snowfall, a couple of our members were a little bit late, but Director Larson and Director Nute are now here. Vice Chair Olsen thanked Director Sanders for his presentation. He stated he was really pleased to hear him speak about the history of the Dodge Nature Center, previously Shepard Farm. He stated the City of Cottage Grove has a Historic Preservation Commission; a previous local historian, Bev Gross, was friends with the Shepard family and often told us her stories. We’re really pleased to see that the historic nature of the property is going to be maintained. He asked if Director Sanders had any contact or was currently working with the Washington County Historical Society and/or the Minnesota Historical Society regarding any old documents, plans and specs, or any information they might be able to uncover relative to the former workings of Shepard Farm. That way, when people arrive there, they’d have some things to look at, to step back into the past and learn a little more about how that farm operated and who lived there. Director Sanders replied they’d had those discussions and still converse with Stan and Lucy Shepard, who lived on the property. They have a Shepard Farm Task Force; one of the things they’re talking about right now are self-led tours, so when people come there they will have an exceptional experience. He felt part of that was telling the story, and visitors will see environmental education while they’re there but might have questions about the buildings. So, they’re trying to find a way to also tell the historic piece of it, what the buildings were used for; he mentioned the milking shed, which is amazing. They’re slowly having volunteers bring that back in a way so that it’s safe to go inside, so it won’t be a usable space, but we want to use it as comparison to honor that history. They’re meeting with those who know a lot more about it than us; them helping us bring that along is definitely a focus of what they want to do. Council Member Olsen stated it’s interesting to note the history of the community. Even today we are one of the very few suburban communities in the Twin Cities that has a rural element. That rural past is something that many people value; they hear about it, but you have a unique opportunity to actually educate. He was glad to hear that they’re working towards that with all of the various stakeholders. City of Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau November 29, 2022 Page 3 of 7 Director Sanders added there’s a horse stoop in the back that will be staying there because it’s part of the story; it’s where people stepped up to get onto the horse. It needs a little work, but it will be there. Director Levine stated Director Sanders had mentioned the West St. Paul campus has a preschool; she asked if there was a plan to also bring a preschool to the Cottage Grove location. Director Sanders replied there currently isn’t a plan for that, but there’s a plan for preschool programming to kind of see what it’s like. They haven’t done enough studies in this area to see how many preschools are here, and theirs is a little bit unique because theirs is half day in West St. Paul. They get many requests for full day, which would be different for them because that would involve food service and nap spaces, so they still have some work to do. First, they want to create that space for people to come to; then they’d have to decide what’s the next big feature, but it’s definitely on the table. Chairman Dennis thanked Director Sanders for his time, we appreciate him being here. People can find them quite easily just by doing a key word search of Dodge Nature Center Cottage Grove. Specialist Prior-Miller also thanked Director Sanders and the Dodge Nature Center, noting as a community garden plot owner there, it’s truly a humbling experience. Specialist Prior-Miller introduced two members of the Holiday Train Committee: Sonja Fox from RE/MAX and Randy Bachman from Merchants Bank. They will give us an update on the Holiday Train coming back to Cottage Grove. Randy Bachman stated he’s the Co-Chair of the Cottage Grove Holiday Train location stop, along with Chelsea Swaggert, the other Co-Chair, who could not be here today. Sonja Fox stated she’s been on the Holiday Train Committee for a number of years with Randy. Co-Chair Bachman gave a history of the Holiday Train: CP Rail started the Holiday Train in 1999, 24 years ago. There are two trains: One travels across the United States, and the second travels across Canada. Since the launch, they’ve raised more than $21 million and collected 5 million pounds of food for community food banks across North America; the Friends in Need Food Shelf in St. Paul Park is one of those recipients. This is the 20th year for the Cottage Grove stop; we’re one of 19 stops in Minnesota and we might be one of the largest in money raised and size of our turnout. A few years ago we were lucky enough to have Sheryl Crowe perform because they know how many people attend the Cottage Grove event. To date, we’ve raised over $1.6 million for the Friends in Need Food Shelf, which is amazing for a community of this size. Ms. Fox stated Mary Slusser, a Cottage Grove resident, is the founder of the Cottage Grove stop; she saw the Holiday Train at another city and thought how can we get this in Cottage Grove. She started working with Canadian Pacific and has really built this event up to what it is today. Ms. Fox displayed photos of the Holiday Train, which stops in Cottage Grove; the train opens, and there’s a live performance. CP Rail typically gives a sizeable monetary donation to the Friends in Need Food Shelf, which is very much appreciated. Co-Chair Bachman stated the Holiday Train Committee is mostly all volunteers; we all take time out to help with this event. It’s an amazing committee, and we’ve got people from all walks of life and all areas of work; he displayed the names of the Holiday Train Committee. Their mission: To raise as much money as possible for the Friends in Need Food Shelf, while also creating an event for our communities to come together for making memories. Ms. Fox noted there are other events to raise funds throughout the holiday season in the name of the CP Holiday Train: SuperMom’s Holiday Bread Sales; Cottage Grove Cub Foods bagging; Spaghetti Dinner at the St. Paul Park VFW; Festival of Trees & Wreaths, led by the Cottage Grove Arts Commission; Food Trucks; Stage Presentations with our community mayors and Friends in Need Director, where mayors can ride the train from Hastings to Cottage Grove to accept the donations; Silent Auctions, Live & Virtual; Live Music. 2022: The Holiday Train will be here on Monday, December 12. The Virtual Silent Auction is happening right now, ending this Friday, December 2. Fill a Fire Truck event is on December 3 at Hamlet Park, where people can drive by and drop off paper product donations and/or any cash donations; they can also pick up their items from the Virtual Silent Auction. Other events: Live music from the Holiday Train stage with Allan Doyle & Kelly Prescott. Cottage Grove Stop: Santa; Free cookies, cocoa, coffee, glow sticks; Wagon rides from the Park & Ride lot; Warming tent; Holiday Train merchandise tent; Five Food trucks: D & D Goodies, Northwoods Smokehouse, Rollin Nolens BBQ, Steven D’s, Youniverse Foodie Waffles; Sponsor donation presentations; Collection of toilet paper, personal care items, and cash. Our goal this year is to raise over $90,000 for the Friends in Need Food Shelf. This would not be possible without our many sponsors, both organizations and individuals, for their funds and in-kind items. Chairman Dennis stated this organization is all volunteer; probably the most unique and incredible thing about it is the people who come forward with their efforts and intentions to make a tremendous difference. When you talk amount the money that’s raised for the Friends in Need Food Shelf and what that equates to for their annual operations, it’s even more than the value of those dollars. We know that the food shelf has buying power, so for every $1 they can turn that into $10 worth of product to be of assistance to people. It’s amazing to see, and it’s great to see this come back after years off; Cub Foods is now starting to allow bagging again, so we’ll come and do that next year. His words just can’t City of Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau November 29, 2022 Page 4 of 7 show the appreciation of the community, of this Board, and of the Cottage Grove City Council for all that the Holiday Train Committee does; it’s really incredible, so he thanked them. Director Nute stated that her children are very excited that the Holiday Train is coming back, and we appreciate you bringing it to the community and allowing us the opportunity to be able to enjoy that with our neighbors and connecting with the community. It’s awesome. Vice Chair Olsen thanked them for their presentation; he was glad they recognized Mary Slusser, as she’s done so many amazing things as a Cottage Grove community member. She was also one of the founding members of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, she brought the Holiday Train, and through her business, Spartan Promotions, she’s done a ton of good in terms of donating goods and services for various events. As Chairman Dennis mentioned, this is truly a community event; he noted he’s done some of the fundraising events mentioned, so there’s almost no stone left unturned in terms of raising money. He found it interesting that the amount of money raised continues to increase; during COVID, we didn’t even have the train, but it was an extremely successful time for fundraising. This year the train is actually coming to Cottage Grove as its first stop on that date; typically, it stops in Hastings and then it comes here, but Hastings has their event the night before. He asked since it’s going to be here at about 5:00 p.m., what time can people start to arrive to get to where they want to be to see all of the lights; parking is always a bit of a challenge, but the Cottage Grove Police Department and various volunteers certainly help with that. Ms. Fox replied the road is shutting down at 3:00 p.m., and the event officially starts at 3:30 p.m., which would be an appropriate time to arrive; the cookies and cocoa and food trucks will be ready to start selling. Co-Chair Bachman stated four wagons will start running at 3:30, so if you park at the Park & Ride, so there will be plenty of opportunity to jump on a wagon if you don’t want to walk that distance. Vice Chair Olsen stated we’ll keep our fingers crossed for nice temperatures that night and thanked them for all that they do. Chair Dennis thanked them again and told them we’re looking forward to a great event. 5.2 2023 Visitors Guide Specialist Prior-Miller stated she’d give a sneak peek at the refreshed 2023 Visitors Guide, and speak about ad sales and printing quotes we’ve received for the 2023 Visitors Guide. She displayed the reimagined cover for 2023; she wanted to change a couple items from 2022, but doesn’t want to change the cover every year so it can be recognized from year to year. We learned a few things from the past year that she thought would be appropriate cover changes: She added the word Minnesota underneath Cottage Grove, put some highlights of what’s inside printed on the cover and also our website name. We talked at our last meeting about reprinting the 2022 guide, but with a refreshed look, new photos, new ads, etc. so this is just a preview of some fresh layouts that we’ve been working with; of course, the Board will receive a final copy before we go to print for any last suggestions or changes. She displayed some of the included photos, things that were taken over the past year that showcase other amenities in our community, as opposed to what we already showcased in the 2022 Visitors Guide: Photos showcasing our meeting and convention spaces, places around town that are really active, like River Oaks Golf Course, and of course the Strawberry Fest. Ads: Most of our 2022 advertisers returned, but some did not; for the spaces that were freed up, we have acquired two new advertisers, Gray Duck Disc Golf and Zywiec’s Garden Center, so we’re doing well there. We’re working with some of the advertisers to finalize their ads before we go to print. Printing Quotes: This year we reached out to two potential printing vendors, Graphic Design Inc. (GDI), and Ideal Printers; we gave them the same specs of the 2022 Visitors Guide: Full color, 36 pages, Fold/stitch/trim binding, Aqueous coating for the cover so it’s more tactile. We asked them for quotes on quantities of 4,000, 5000, and 6,000. From what we learned in the past year and understanding where the guide will be used, when it will be used, and the volume in which its taken off of the shelves at its locations, staff recommends that 5,000 of the 2023 Visitors Guide be printed. She stated she’d take any questions from the Board. Director Hanson asked regarding the two printing quotes, is it too late to open that up to more quotes or if it was finalized right now and the specs were in. Specialist Prior-Miller replied no, it’s not finalized. He stated he knows a lot of people in the printing industry, who could probably get in that range or a little bit lower, which is why he asked. Specialist Prior- Miller stated she’d love to know who they are and share and exchange information; that would be great. Chairman Dennis stated we have a recommendation by motion to approve the quote; if we’re going to hold off and get more quotes, then we probably should just table this particular item until a later time. Administrator Levitt stated one thing they might want to consider is award a quote up to the value of the $6,957; if a quote were to come in lower than that for the 5,000 copies, then we would authorize it. So, if you’d be willing to entertain that, we could ensure that printing is secured because there’s obviously some paper and lead time with that for our printer. If the Board is comfortable with that type of motion, eliminating the actual name of the company and authorizing the value, that would be fabulous. Chairman Dennis stated that’s a good way to go, especially if we can get some better value on this, we’d all appreciate that, too. City of Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau November 29, 2022 Page 5 of 7 Vice Chair Olsen stated as mentioned last year, when it comes to the photos, we really want to be cognizant of the mix of individuals who live in our community relative to diversity, equity, etc. to make sure that people have a really good grasp of the fact that the Cottage Grove community is a great place to live, work, and play, and we’re also very inclusive. Recommendation: By motion: 1) Approve quote for the printing of 5,000 2023 Visitor Guides for a grand total of up to $6,957, pending any additional outside quotes coming in. Director Levine made a motion to approve quote for the printing of 5,000 2023 Visitor Guides for a grand total of up to $6,957, pending any additional outside quotes coming in. The motion was seconded by Director Hanson. Motion passed unanimously (6-to-0). 5.3 Explore Minnesota Grant Opportunity Specialist Prior-Miller stated Explore Minnesota routinely offers grant opportunities for tourism industries in Minnesota to boost economic impact for the travel industry for the entire State. This particular grant is a 2023 Tourism Marketing Grant, which will work in tandem with Explore Minnesota Strategic Objectives that they’ve laid out for their marketing initiatives. It is a 1:1 matching grant, so some of the items that could be matched with this grant that we already have outlined in our 2023 budget are: Paid social media advertising; Print advertising; Production of photos and video assets; Registration and fees for some vendor spaces planned for 2023, such as the Strawberry Fest Marketplace booth and the Cottage Grove Community Night Saints Game booth activation. While it’s a 1:1 matching grant, no additional monies that weren’t already budgeted and accounted for will be spent. Explore Minnesota requests a progress report in March, which we will fill out and send to them, and then we reconcile everything before their due date in August. Specialist Prior-Miller noted that $900 has already been approved by the Board for the booth activation for the St. Paul Saints Cottage Grove Community Night; the staff recommendation before you is should we apply for and receive the monies from the grant, that we increase our sponsorship level at the Cottage Grove Community Night Saints Game. Chairman Dennis asked Specialist Prior-Miller for transparency sake if she could just identify the differences between the two sponsorship levels. Specialist Prior-Miller stated the Board has already approved activation on the concourse at the Saints game; so, we’re allowed to bring in our booth and our tables and our swag and interact with everyone at the game that night, inform them about Strawberry Fest the following week, and try to bring in visitors from that event. The increased sponsorship level here would allow us to do a couple of fun extra things with the Saints: We’d have promotion over the P.A., we’d have an on-field activity and photo, and she believed there was one other thing; it just allows us to get more recognition at the Saints game with the printing of the tickets and how many tickets we receive that we’re able to give out to people in our community. Recommendation: By motion: 1) Approve the submission of grant application materials from the CGCVB to Explore Minnesota for the opportunity to receive $14,000 through the 2023 Tourism Marketing Grant. 2) Should the CGCVB receive the allotted amount for the grant, approve the signing of a $1,600 contract with the St. Paul Saints for securing the date for Cottage Grove Community Night on June 10, 2023, with an increased sponsorship level package. Vice Chair Olsen made a motion to approve the submission of grant application materials from the CGCVB to Explore Minnesota for the opportunity to receive $14,000 through the 2023 Tourism Marketing Grant. The motion was seconded by Director Nute. The motion passed unanimously (6-to-0 vote). Director Levine made a motion should the CGCVB receive the allotted amount for the grant, approve the signing of a $1,600 contract with the St. Paul Saints for securing the date for Cottage Grove Community Night on June 10, 2023, with an increased sponsorship level package. The motion was seconded by Director Nute. Motion passed unanimously (6-to-0 vote). 5.4 2022 Quarter 3 Lodging Tax Revenue Assistant Mann stated they’d take a look at the revenue received for Quarter 3 (Q3); this number does include Lodging Tax. We had a $10,000 grant from earlier this year, it was approved previously, by the funds hit our account in August 2022, so it’s also reported in Q3: Lodging Tax was $23,620, plus the $10,000 grant revenue, which brought our total revenue received to $33,620; that is 26.5% over our projection for Q3. That brought our year-to-date total to 11.3% over our 2022 revenue projections. So, we are doing well this year and are right on track for where we want to be. Quarter 4 tends to slow down just a little bit with travel, but we are right on track for hitting our year projection. Assistant Mann asked if there were any questions. City of Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau November 29, 2022 Page 6 of 7 Vice Chair Olsen thanked Assistant Mann for that information. When he looked at our total revenue vs. our budgeted revenue, he asked what’s in the bank right now. Assistant Mann replied she had Finance putting together where we’re at; she doesn’t have that information yet, but should have that before our next meeting. Vice Chair Olsen stated earlier this year, the CVB sponsored a hole at the Public Safety Golf Tournament at River Oaks; he had the opportunity to work that hole for the entire event, along with help from Economic Development Director Larson and Communications Director Eric Rigby. He noticed as we worked that hole how many of the golfers who live in Cottage Grove, some of whom work for the City of Cottage Grove, had no idea who we were; that was part of the reason to sponsor the hole, to gain some exposure, build that fan base, and let people know who we were. As we discussed that event, we were concerned we didn’t have enough money in the bank to cover the hole sponsorship. Chairman Dennis made a very generous statement that he would cover the cost of the hole sponsorship, $250. Once we know how much is in the bank, Vice Chair Olsen would like to see Chairman Dennis be reimbursed for that hole sponsorship, as it was a CVB sponsored event. He knows Chairman Dennis is an extremely generous man and donates to many different things throughout the year in the City; Vice Chair Olsen stated he just felt it was wrong that Chairman Dennis personally paid for that sponsorship, especially if funds are available. It was a successful event for River Oaks and the Public Safety Board; he also felt for the CVB it was a very important place for us to be and was very successful. He asked Director Larson to share her thoughts. Director Larson stated she agreed that the golf tournament gave us the opportunity to talk about the CVB, and it was surprising that people did not know what it was; then again, as good as the City is about communicating, there will still always be somebody who said they didn’t know something. She concurred it was a fun day and gave us the opportunity to talk to a lot of people about the CVB. Vice Chair Olsen stated we gave out a lot of Visitor Guides, pens, candy, and other fun giveaways. More than anything, he felt just the opportunity to share the information with each team as they came through about who we are, what we do, and why we exist was priceless. Vice Chair Olsen told Assistant Mann whenever she received that bank account information, it would be great if she would share that. He hoped we could reimburse Chair Dennis. Chairman Dennis stated he appreciated Vice Chair Olsen recognizing his donation; he made it with the intention of making a difference and was happy to do that. He stated, very respectfully, that water is under the bridge; the money was given to a good cause, and he’s just glad it made a difference for us. As both he and Vice Chair Olsen are also Council Members, there are times during the year when we both make donations on behalf of organizations in our community. He appreciated it being left in that position. Chairman Dennis stated regarding our budget, the numbers look good, and it’s nice when we can get grants, but grants are not necessarily something we can count on; there are times when we apply and we’re turned down. He just wants us to be mindful of that. He’d also like the dollar amount of the money that we have in the bank; it looks good on paper, but if we remove that grant money, it doesn’t look quite as good. We need to continue to be mindful of how we’re allocating funds and spending money on behalf of this process. Chairman Dennis noted one thing he and Vice Chair Olsen had previously discussed was the cost that we pay for photographs. So, that’s something we probably want to look at a little bit closer; he recalled it was about $1,000 for three or so photographs. Vice Chair Olsen stated absolutely, and it was his understanding that we could get the benefit of our partnership with Sievers in that realm as well; he’s not sure if they are on board with doing some of that work for us as part of our agreement that we have with them. Chairman Dennis is right, we’re paying an awful lot for that service right now. Chairman Dennis stated the City also has a photo contest every year for community members; when they submit their photographs, those become the intellectual property of the City. So, he thought in certain instances if we could make use of those things to run a little bit tighter budget on those expenses, that would be a good thing to do. Chairman Dennis thanked Assistant Mann for the update. 5.5 2023 Budget Approval Assistant Mann noted nothing has changed in the budget since our preliminary budget review. Lodging Tax Projections: Are still based on a 60% occupancy rate, about $5,529 a month, so estimated revenue from Lodging Tax projections is $66,348. We’re projecting approximately the same amount of Visitor Guide ad sales to help offset the cost of printing the guide. She noted the Board just approved applying for the grant so that amount has not been included in our revenue projections; that will be added once we’ve been approved to receive those grant funds. Total Projected Revenue for 2023: $72,640. Expenses: We are basing expenses for 2023 on our actual expenses for 2022, including what’s been projected for the remainder of the year. We have three expense categories: Marketing Expenses: Support the mission of the CVB and include advertising, website hosting/domain, collateral development and printing, marketing and local events, professional services, and other types of advertising. Total Marketing Expenses Budgeted for 2023: $45,874. City of Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau November 29, 2022 Page 7 of 7 Operating Expenses: Include day-to-day operating expenses, including office supplies/equipment, postage, continuing education classes and seminars, dues and subscriptions, and paying back the City for administrative and contractual services to run the CVB. That is based on either a $10,000 payback or 25% of the Lodging Tax Revenue, whichever is greater. Total Operating Expenses Budgeted for 2023: $22,295.63 Other Expenses: Start-up cost payback, as the City funded bringing the CVB inhouse; there are two payments remaining to pay back to the City for those start-up costs. So, after the first two quarters of 2023, that payment will cease. Total Other Expenses Budgeted for 2023: $2,750.00 2023 Final Budget Total Projected Revenue for 2023: $72,640.00 Total Projected Expenses for 2023: $70,920.00 Profit Projection: $ 1,720.00 Assistant Mann stated the recommendation is before the Board, and she’ll be happy to answer any questions. Chairman Dennis stated he likes to clear our books of debt, so it’s very nice to see that we’re going to have two more payments and then our start-up costs will be paid in full; that’s progress to him. Recommendation: By motion, approve the 2023 Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau Final Budget. Director Levine made a motion to approve the 2023 Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau Final Budget. The motion was seconded by Director Hanson. Motion passed unanimously (6-to-0 vote). OTHER BUSINESS 6.1 CGCVB Comments - None. 6.2 Response to Previous CGCVB Comments - None. 7.1 Workshop - None. ADJOURNMENT Before calling for a motion to adjourn, Chairman Dennis mentioned that our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 7:30 a.m. in the Council Chambers. Vice Chair Olsen made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:28 a.m. The motion was seconded by Director Hanson. Motion passed unanimously (6-to-0 vote). Respectfully submitted, _______________________________________ Jaime Mann, Assistant to the City Administrator /jag