After four years of discourse, lawsuits, and negotiations, the City of Manitowoc and the Manitowoc Area Visitor and Convention Bureau are once again working together.
But what does that mean for the future of Visit Manitowoc?
Mayor Justin Nickels and Visit Manitowoc Executive Director Courtney Hansen both voiced their relief that the saga is in the rearview mirror so they can focus on the future.
A big aspect of the agreement is the freeing up of a large percentage of the estimated $500,000 in Room Tax dollars the City was required to set aside.
Mayor Nickels reiterated that, per Judge Mark Rohrer’s ruling in 2022, the City was required to set aside 70% of all money received from those staying at hotels in the city.
“In that ruling, though, the judge said that, you know, the movie isn’t entitled to all 70%. It just has to be used specifically for tourism purposes,” he explained. “How we determine that IS really between the MAVCB in the City of Manitowoc.”
Of that saved money, $80,000 is going to the MAVCB to help pay off its debt.
Mayor Nickels also revealed that the City typically collects around $700,000 per year in Room Tax dollars, $15,000 of which will now have to go to the MAVCB as per the 20-year agreement.
As has been the case with the four-year saga, there are still some questions voiced by the public regarding what all of this means for Visit Manitowoc moving forward.
Executive Director Courtney Hansen says her team isn’t going anywhere.
“We’ll keep on keeping on.”
Hansen noted that, even while running on a 30% budget, Visit Manitowoc has gone from an idea to a powerful tool for the promotion of the Clipper City.
“We have so many great things that we’ve built the last few years as we’ve built up this department,” she told SeehaferNews.com. “Now we can just move ahead stronger, do more, reach further with our marketing and tackle some additional plans that we’ve had in the docket for the last few years.”
As for what those big plans are, the most prominent one in the near future will be finding…
“a permanent location for our office. That’s something that we should be reviewing a little more at our June meeting.”
Hansen also noted that Visit Manitowoc and the MAVCB are “full on in agreement” for working together moving forward to ensure they are not doubling up on any services and to make sure they are bringing as many people to the area as possible.
The agreement will officially fall into place on June 1st.
