Manitowoc Common Council Discusses Visit Manitowoc
On top of the mayor’s State of the City address, one other topic took up a lot of time at Monday’s Common Council meeting in Manitowoc.
The alders took just under an hour to discuss a resolution to officially create a Department of Tourism within the City of Manitowoc’s organizational structure.
Additionally, several residents of the city addressed the council during the public comment period voicing their displeasure.
One of those individuals was Collin Braunel.
He said, “This is not necessary. The general funds should not be going toward this. Is this not the same department that had spent $80,000 on Christmas decorations?”
The money he was referring to was $725,000 that was to be transferred from the General Fund to the Tourism Department account, however as Alderman and Finance Committee Chair Jim Brey explained, this money did not come from the residents of Manitowoc.
He stated, “Property taxes will not be used to fund the Tourism Department if the resolution is approved tonight.”
That statement was backed up by Council President Erik Sitkiewitz, who said bluntly, “What I am going to public pledge is that we are not using tax dollars for tourism. Local property tax dollars have no place in tourism.”
State law allows municipalities to take 30% of Room Tax dollars collected, which come from people that spend time at a hotel, and use them as they so choose.
Alder Brey said that the Council approved a resolution unanimously to use those funds for tourism purposes.
“Utilizing the 30% to pay for the salaries of our employees continues that practice,” he explained. “As this whole process is going on, the 70% that we are not technically allowed to spend right now is being saved. It is not being spent for anything. It is being held in the general fund.”
Brey also revealed that the $725,000 was actually collected back when the city split its Room Tax collections 50/50 between tourism and industrial development.
The resolution did eventually pass on a 7-3 vote, with Alders Brett Vanderkin, Darian Kaderabek, and Todd Reckelberg voting against it.
Reckelberg, who represents Manitowoc’s 10th District, addressed the Council and those in attendance during the discussion period to explain why he planned to vote no.
“When I have been getting calls and information from my constituents, I was not able to say one way or the other because of the way I saw the resolution written, and the other information,” he explained. “I was unable to answer them truthfully one way or the other, so I said I would vote no on it.”
That being said, the Alderman admitted that he was more informed on Monday than he had been prior and was only voting no because he already told his constituents that he would.
Many people wonder why the 20-year partnership with the Manitowoc Area Visitor and Convention Bureau dissolved.
The vocal opposition to Visit Manitowoc says that they are doing the same thing as the MAVCB and is a waste of money.
There have been rumors and speculation regarding the disillusion, but 8th District Alderman Bill Schlei laid it all to rest.
He explained that “In my opinion, from everything I have read, everything that I have heard, and everything I have seen in facts…the old Visitor and Convention Bureau, the leadership at that time did not deal with the City in good faith. That is why their contract was not renewed. That is why the city went out and pursued another convention bureau.”
The city never received any bids.
The full resolution can be viewed below.
A big issue a lot of the Council members had with the resolution is that it was added to the meeting agenda on Friday, leaving them with little time to review it.
Mayor Justin Nickels apologized for the quick turnaround during the meeting.
As far as the Christmas decorations, brought up by Braunel, Alderman Schlei corrected the statement noting that “The Christmas decorations were donated. Every dime.”
There was a lot said between nearly all of the alders, the mayor, and the City’s Finance Director, Shawn Alfred.
You can listen to the entire conversation by watching the common council meeting on the City’s YouTube Channel.
