City council releases $62,000 in hotel/motel tax revenues

Following a presentation by Winneshiek County Convention & Visitors Board president Mike Klimesh on Monday night, the Decorah City Council voted 6-1 to release $62,226 in hotel/motel tax revenues to the WCCVB.

Klimesh presented the city council with an audit of hotel/motel tax funding and with a financial report of WCCVB.  City council members had asked for the documents because of concerns about WCCVB. Monday night city council member Kirk Johnson criticized WCCVB for what he called "a rash decision to leave the Chamber of Commerce building."

But Klimesh said "the numbers are clear" that hotel/motel tax funds are getting used the way they should be used.  He said that while $10,000 had been set aside to cover the costs of administering the funds, WCCVB had spent only $5,000--and those funds were used for expenses tied to events the Hotel/Motel Tax Committee had approved.

Six of the city council members approved releasing the funds, with Randy Schissel the lone "no" vote.