From Staff Reports / Mississippi Tribune
McComb’s Community Relations and Tourism Director Ms. Tasha Dillon gave selectmen a 27-month review of the department’s accomplishments during Tuesday’s work session.
The report highlighted the community resources available, tourism and economic development accomplishments, local partnerships and continuous sponsorships the department could offer when the hotel/motel tax was active.
“Tasha has done a wonderful job as director of the community relations and tourism department…she has done an excellent job,” city administrator Quordiniah Lockley stated. The current staffing includes Dillon and a part-time administrative employee who works about 15 hours per week and a part-time greeter / receptionist, who is not currently scheduled to work.
The rest of the board also complimented Dillon on the job she has done, followed by a discussion to resurrect the hotel tax. According to Dillon her department needs only $45,000 to continue operating through the fiscal year, since there was a surplus of funds at the end of the department’s fiscal year. The funds would allow the department to retain its part-time help and continue established partnerships.
Dillon said the department had enough funds to last it through “mid-summer.” That report contradicts Enterprise-Journal reports of State Representatives Sam Mims and David Myers who asserted that funds were misappropriated and overspent.
The tourism department was fully funded by the 3 percent tax that began in 2005 and was killed through political manuvering by Myers and Mims, resulting in the end of the taxation period on December 31, 2009. When renewal time came, the Selectmen unanimously voted to renew the tax, as did the State Senate after being presented by Senator Kelvin Butler, who recently was awarded the MS Tourism Association’s Friend of Tourism award, at their annual Legislative Luncheon.
However, two lawmakers, Myers, D-McComb, and Mims, R-McComb, proposed diverting 40 percent of future revenues to the Pike County Economic Development District and they never provided any substantial information about their claims as to the legitimacy of that proposal. Both criticized the way money was spent and made an unsubstantiated claim that funds were spent on family reunions and church activities.
Dillon, who is a pastor of a local church stated, “There was never a family reunion nor church ever supported. They said it publicly and couldn’t prove it, because it wasn’t there.”
Mims and Myers both had an opportunity to prove differently. Myers and Mims have had disagreements with Mayor Zach Patterson and many citizens believe and have publicly expressed that these lawmakers’ actions were based on political vendettas.
At the work session, the board discussed how to continue operations in the city’s tourism department. Selectman E.C. Nobles and city administrator Lockley proposed that the board should try to seek a compromised reinstatement of the 3-percent tax on hotel rooms.
“At a point, the city needs to try to regain the funds through the tax from the state,” Nobles said. “They didn’t think we were spending it right. McComb is being promoted. We have to find a common ground…We see the benefit from it and we need to get this back on track.”
Lockley said he will visit with area lawmakers in Jackson before the next board meeting on Feb. 9 to discuss renewing the tax, which would require the introduction of a new bill that must be signed into law and backed by a referendum. Nobles and Lockley both insisted that Dillon attend a meeting in Jackson to speak with Myers and Mims on this legislative matter.
Through McComb’s Community Relations and Tourism Bureau, various first-time events have been recruited, created, and supported as successful tourist draws, including The MS Recreation & Parks Association Conference, the MS Conference of Black Mayors, Inc. 31st Annual Conference, the Smithsonian Institute’s Journey Stories Exhibit, the McComb City Fair, the Camellia City Festival, the MS Welcome Centers Familiarization (FAM) Tour, MDAs Annual Festivals and Coordinators Workshop, NoonTunes, Blues Trail Markers for Bo Diddley and Summit Street, and many others area activities.
The hotel tax funds supported local agencies and groups that were providing tourism and economic development activities. The report showed how Dillon has partnered the City with the McComb Railroad Association, Pike County Arts Council, McComb Main Street Association, United Givers, Pike County Chamber of Commerce, Pike County Business League, Keep Pike County Beautiful, McComb School District, PPESA, and other groups.
The department has garnered local, state, regional and national media exposure for McComb. Dillon concluded the presentation with information from the MS State Tax Commission:
MS Development Authority Tourism, which estimated visitors to Pike County spent $30.4 million in fiscal year 2008-’09, resulting in 455 direct Travel and Tourism jobs, with $670,482 spent in Tourism Capital Investment (actual building project/renovations). It also estimated tourism generated some $2.35 million in state and local taxes attributed to Tourism.
