PERRYSBURG – The city has come to an agreement that will allow the continuation of Market Days.
As its Tuesday meeting, city council voted 5-2 to give Visit Perrysburg a higher share of the city’s hotel tax.
Council amended an ordinance to allow 60% of the city’s hotel tax to go to the non-profit.
The city previously split 50-50 with Visit Perrysburg proceeds from a 3% hotel tax. Half amounts to $365,000; giving Visit Perrysburg an additional 10% will equal around $73,000.
The increase will allow the non-profit to hire an additional staff member to run the market as well as other events and allow the agency to focus on tourism.
Visit Perrysburg met Tuesday afternoon and voted to support this option.
“I think we have better options,” said council member Timothy McCarthy.
Three additional options were considered.
The options outlined by the administration should be considered, he said, and suggested all proposals be discussed at next week’s finance committee meeting.
Why turn over additional money to Visit Perrysburg to run an event we can run ourselves, McCarthy asked.
If it’s not broke, why mess with it, responded Council President Jonathan Smith.
The city would not be able to hire someone full time and provide benefits for the additional funds given to Visit Perrysburg, said council member Mark Weber.
Council member Jan Materni asked why the city wanted to award an organization that doesn’t want to run the market.
Materni and McCarthy voted against the amendment.
The future of the city’s Market Days, which has been around for 23 years, became an issue when the Visit Perrysburg board voted last fall to stop the event, due in part to the fees imposed by the city.
Up until 2022, the city did not charge for police and trash service for the weekly event. Fees amounted to $10,186 in 2022; this year’s number has not yet been determined but is estimated around $16,000.
The future of the fees are still to be determined, said Christine Best, who is executive director of Visit Perrysburg.
“I’m optimistic,” she said. “This is about them wanting what’s right for the community, us wanting what’s right for the tourism component. I think we’ll figure it out.”
The three other options included waiving the fees, the city running the market with current staff and the city hiring someone to run the event, she said.
The additional funds will allow Visit Perrysburg to take over management of the city’s parades.
McCarthy said it needs to be in writing the non-profit’s intent to take over those events.
It will be, Weber said.
Materni said she would vote no on any reallocation of the hotel tax until the city addresses collecting tax from the VBRO and Airbnb rentals.
She agreed with McCarthy’s suggestion to send all options to the finance committee.
“Sixty percent is way too high,” Materni said.
“We’re at crunch time,” said council member Cory Kuhlman. “Time has run out. We owe our citizens the reassurance that this cool event is going to continue.”
McCarthy disagreed with Kuhlman’s assessment.
The Visit Perrysburg board voted last year to abandon the event, he said, and the city can get the list of vendors and get it done.
Materni said she has not been satisfied with how the market has been run in recent years and its fees are the highest in the area.
Vendors pay $15 per event and food trucks pay $450 for the season, Best said.
“It’s a relief to know they have a place to continue,” she said about the 60-65 vendors that set up at the market, which is held over four city blocks on Thursdays.
