Open query to the CCVB:
This email was sent to Michael Varnum and April Prout on Dec. 23. It marks the second time several of the questions were asked since no answers with specifics were provided when first asked Dec. 1.
“We’ve scheduled the CCVB budget story to run the first week of January and i know it’s hectic holidays season so I need you or april to respond to a couple more questions by noon Jan. 4. I recognize there are as many ways to market as there are marketers I’m just trying to better understand and communicate to the public the new directions by the CCVB.
CCVB has projected revenues of $295,000 and plans expenditures of $360,000. How is this possible? Dan Short says it’s either that you had a surplus or have additional income and wasn’t sure which. From the budget, it looks as though you had surplus in 2008. Is that it or is it something else?
Also, the mountain mail article said you’re spending $145,000 but budget shows $135,000. I presume that was a typo on the MM part? Please confirm.
Also email/web is budgeted at $2000. What specifically does that fund?
Travel expenses have risen to $2500 what types of travel or maybe the better way to ask is to which events does this cover travel. And is the travel just for april or does it also include travel for the chair or any other board members to attend tourism functions?
There’s also no budget for creative ad services – where did it go? and what is the amount budgeted for The Branding Agency. As previously requested how much is allocated to Nathan Bilow as well as Todd O’Brien, Tim Brown, Jessi Vogel, Joseph Kreiss and Scott Peterson video. Is video considered part of the photography budget?
FAM tour expenses continue to rise. Please share what FAM’s you are anticipating hosting in 2010.
Event sponsorship has been eliminated. Has that been sort of repurposed to the line item “cooperative advertising”? Can you please provide detail of how the cooperative advertising program works. Please provide a list of the groups or entities – are they all events? individual businesses? trade groups? – who participate in this and the amount of funding support they receive. Are there any upper limits to funding requests? and are all funding requests limited strictly to ad support? if there’s not a formal grant process are there then just random presentations to the board? or how does that work?
How much CCVB money is allocated in direct support of Monarch for the 2009/2010 season and then for the 2010/2011 season?
Thanks so much. If it’s easier to call than type you can reach me at 303.898.4141
happy holidays
cheers
lee”
Looking forward to a reply which we will share with the public or we can spend hours of our time and county finance staff time digging for the answers ourselves, which points to the need for and value of transparency. While some of the questions are merely fact-checking, of particular interest is the question of the “cooperative advertising program,” since $50,000 is budgeted to be given to unspecified “groups” it would be a benefit to the tourism community to publicly explain the details of who’s eligible and what’s required of parties interested in applying for such financial assistance.
After reading this article that you have published. I would suggest that you should proof your own writing before attacking others. Where are you located if you have a 303 area code to call you. How could you write something of Salida if you are in the front range. What is your interest in Slaida? Slandering people is not a good thing.
Why don’t you go to the public meetings, and raise your question like a civilized human being (and the rest of us if we are interested). Pot shots from the peanut gallery asking volunteers to do extra work just for your own edification does not warrant the waste of time you ask. There are processes that need to be adhered to, asking for data in this way is not one of them.
@Naomi–
One of my very best friends that has lived in the valley for 16 years has a “303″ area code. Comes from where you get your phone contract. I know people with Louisiana area codes here, that are wonderfully contributing members of this area. Area code means nothing–our phone numbers are simply 10-digit now, not 7 anymore.
Also, with regards to Lee “proofing” her piece, perhaps you should get clear with the definition of “slander” so it sounds like you know what you are writing: Libel is the written act of defamation, slander, the oral act of defamation. This aside from the question of whether any defamation has actually taken place. I for one welcome Lee Hart’s contributions–she’s asking tough questions about tough subjects, and tough questions have been scarce as hen’s teeth in the era of Merle.
Interesting conversation here. The idea that the questions should be raised at a public meeting is a good one. However, based on the “attack the messenger” type of response from Mr. Nicolls, I imagine that his response to that would be something along the lines of “Why ambush somebody at a public meeting without providing them a written list of the information you want and giving them time to gather it, without grandstanding at a public meeting to score points.”
Regardless of the what information is sought, or for what purpose, the information is public and should be provided in a timely manner. To fail to provide the information, especially in light of the people who are complaining, raises the inevitable question “What are they hiding?”
I guess I am confused as to why this is even on the salidacitizen.com website when it isn’t a finished piece of work. I too would like some answers to questions posed here, but I also agree that going about it this way seems wrong for some reason. The tone of this article was a bit bitter and I’m curious if there is some background information I am lacking, like animosity form the parties involved?
Michael – The piece relates to a thread found elsewhere on the site. http://salidacitizen.com/2010/01/transparency-new-years-resolution/
The poor grammar and punctuation of this article would not be such an issue if the author did not proclaim herself, several times, “Award- winning career communicator Lee Hart.”