Winneshiek County Convention and Visitors Bureau will sever its agreement to administer the spending of hotel/motel tax revenues

It was a long and sometimes contentious meeting of the City Finance Committee Monday night as committee member Kirk Johnson continued to criticize the Winneshiek County Convention and Visitors Bureau for moving out of the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce building.

"The organization has made itself irrelevant by moving out of the Chamber," Johnson told committee members, adding "they botched it (late last fall)."  Finance chair Randy Schissell, who has also been critical of the WCCVB, proposed abolishing the Hotel/Motel Tax Board, which makes recommendations about how to spend roughly $125,000 in hotel/motel tax monies each year.

But Decorah Mayor Lorraine Borowski urged city officials to continue to work with county tourism officials, saying, "I do not feel starving them going forward is a good idea."  City council member Steve Luse seconded Borowski, urging city council members, "Let's stop being so parochial."

WCCVB Board president Michael Klimesh, who attended the city meeting, said the WCCVB would willingly give up the money it gets paid to administer the disbursement of hotel/motel tax funds--so long as WCCVB continues to receive hotel/motel tax funds, so it can promote the area through advertising, tourism shows and other means.  Klimesh says WCCVB will send the city a message this week giving up the administrative duties, with the understanding that the move won't affect marketing funds.