PERRYSBURG – A meeting will be held next week to discuss the extra duties of Visit Perrysburg now that it is receiving more financial support from the city.
Perrysburg City Councilman Mark Weber said the extra 10% will be used by Visit Perrysburg for extra duties and not to maintain the status quo.
“It’s not just the farmer’s market,” said Weber, who chairs council’s finance and economic development committee.
The committee met Tuesday, during which Weber announced a meeting will be held next week with Visit Perrysburg Executive Director Christine Best and city Administrator Joe Fawcett to work out the details.
City council on Sept. 5 amended an ordinance to allow 60% of the city’s hotel tax to go to the nonprofit. 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 nonprofit to hire an additional staff member to run the market as well as other events and allow Best to focus on tourism.
Committee member Jonathan Smith asked about the fees for safety and clean-up currently being charged to city groups, including Visit Perrysburg.
The amended ordinance did not address those fees.
Weber said the chamber of commerce shortened this weekend’s Perrysburg Homecoming Festival due to fees.
“We’re not looking to waive fees for every event that happens here,” he said, but he singled out the parades on Memorial Day and in December where fees were waived.
“We just don’t want any entity to lose money on a community-wide event,” Weber said. “We know there’s a benefit to all of our businesses when we bring in that many people (into the city).”
Up until 2022, the city did not charge Visit Perrysburg for police and trash service for Market Days. Fees amounted to $10,186 in 2022; this year’s number has not yet been determined but is estimated around $16,000.
Visit Perrysburg voted last fall to stop the event, due in part to the extra expense of the fees.
Committee member Tim McCarthy was absent from the meeting.
