Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 01/11/2011 07:13 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 01/12/2011 05:41 PM
Expires: 01/01/2016 12:00 AM
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The Calaveras Visitors Center Saga Continues....With Update~by Patrick Works
Angels Camp, CA.....The ongoing issue between the Calaveras County Visitors' Bureau (CVB) and the City of Angels Camp regarding the future of the Angels Camp Visitors' Center continues to unfold. As last reported here, the Personnel and Finance Committee of the Angels Camp City Council met last week, and as part of their agenda the struggle over the future of the Visitors' Center was at issue.....
Whether the City of Angels Camp and the CVB can come to a new and constructive relationship, and the possibility of the CVB continuing to operate the Visitors' Center, has been a contentious and as yet unresolved question, before both the City Council and the CVB board.
As of the last meeting of the City's Quality of Life and Finance Committee, the city clerk hesitated upon the question of whether or not the City of Angels would legally be allowed to reconsider the vote already taken by the City Council regarding the terms of the ongoing operation by the CVB of the Visitors' Center.
At issue was the proposal by the City Council that the CVB would begin paying a market rate for rent on the building currently housing the Visitors' Center. In response to this proposal, the CVB board informed the City Council that they'd not be able to manage this expense within their budget and would have to vacate the premises, and relinquish management of the Visitors' Center to whomever the City might be able to appoint as successors to the CVB.
An understanding of the role of the CVB as they currently operate the Visitors' Bureau property seems to be at issue here. Is the CVB a tenant of the City, or are they managers of a City of Angels property and operation?
The City Council has made clear that the rent free arrangement is no longer viable, and that rent for the property currently used by the CVB as their offices, as well as the visitors' center, needs to be billed together to the CVB by the City of Angels.
The position of the Visitors' Bureau is that management of the Visitors' Center is an adjunct and secondary operation to the primary mission of the Visitors' Bureau (promotion of our region to markets throughout California and abroad), and that if the office space they are given in compensation for their operation of the Visitors' Center is no longer available, their budget requires them to relocate those offices and relinquish operation of the Visitors' Center.
Complicating the simple resolution of this question, is the allocation of tax revenues by the City in support of the CVB. The CVB would like to continue to accept Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenues at current rates in support of what the CVB considers an ongoing contribution to the local economy. The City of Angels has made clear through it's representatives on the Finance and Quality of Life Committee, that these revenues might be better spent in other areas, and would like to keep it's options open; ensuring that all the constituents represented by the Council find their tax dollars bringing returns at the highest rate possible.
At last week's City Council meeting, in the course of discussing another agenda item, the city attorney Richard Matranga answered the question of whether the City Council was legally able to revisit an issue that had already been considered and voted upon, and thus had been considered closed.
Mr. Matranga was quite clear that the statute at issue was vaguely worded in order to allow the Council to vote as they saw fit to reopen any issue the felt appropriate. While his interpretation of the law was that of advice not to reopen old issues, he reiterated the discretion of the council to do their own will.
Looking for a response to this news, we contacted both the CVB President and the new Mayor of Angels Camp.
CVB President Darrell Slocum was happy to hear that the City Attorney regarded this matter as not closed.
Mr. Slocum remarked
"This is an opportunity and the board and I regard this as good news."
Asked for comment from the City of Angels Camp, our new Mayor Jack Boeding made clear a simple point:
"The City Council is willing to revisit this issue, and I expect it to be an agenda item next week."
Hopes for a constructive partnership for the future of the Visitors' Center seem to have been met with the elimination of any legal hurdles.
As for the likelihood of the resolution of this matter, with the CVB continuing to manage the Visitors' Bureau, Mr. Slocum had one thing to say:
"Only time will tell."
Update 1/12/11: According to Darrell Slocum "We were presented with a potential opportunity to re-enter negotiations with the city in an effort to stay at our current location and continue to operate the visitors center. At our CVB board meeting yesterday morning, our board voted unanimously to submit a new proposal to the city for consideration. We are hopeful that our proposal will be accepted so we can get back to the all-important business of marketing Angels Camp and Calaveras County."
Stay in touch with this space for ongoing reports on this, and other stories about your community.
Patrick Works for thepinetree.net
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