Superior Council Delays Vote on Future Handling of Tourism Tax Revenue
Paine is calling for the creation of a tourism commission made up of six members to delegate the money as they see fit as long as it falls within state statutes.
SUPERIOR, Wis.- At Tuesday night’s council meeting, Superior Mayor Jim Paine’s proposal to create a tourism commission to handle how the city spends its tourism tax revenue — a role currently held by Travel Superior — was referred to a special Committee of the Whole Meeting for more discussion.
The decision was made after more than an hour of public comment and councilor discussion on both sides of the argument.
After the city brought in roughly $850,000 dollars in tourism tax revenue before the pandemic in 2019, some at Tuesday’s meeting argued if the current system with Travel Superior isn’t broke, why try to fix it and potentially give the mayor too much power?
Others said Travel Superior’s contract with the city is ending, and it’s time for a change in how hotel motel tax is delegated.
The current system breaks up the annual tourism revenue by giving 30% to the city and the other 70% to Travel Superior, also known as a visitor’s bureau.
Paine is calling for the creation of a tourism commission made up of six members to delegate the money as they see fit as long as it falls within state statutes.
Councilor Brent Fennessey believes the process to potentially do away with Travel Superior has been rushed and says it takes the power to promote Superior out of the hands of the community.
“You’re left with a commission that can now be influenced by council members, can now be influenced by the mayor, can now be influenced by, you have this commission that meets quarterly and the integrity of promoting superior as a whole is gone,” said Fennessey.
“With a significant change like this, a fairly significant change, you want to talk about transparency, and here we are with about two weeks’ notice,” he said.
Travel Superior’s contract with the city is up at the end of the year.
It’s managed by the President of the Superior Douglas County Area Chamber Of Commerce, Taylor Pedersen, and includes a board that Mayor Paine sits on.
Pedersen claims this proposal unfairly attacks Travel Superior when the numbers have been speaking for the job they’re doing.
Meanwhile Paine says the proposal is not about Travel Superior, but is a method used by other cities in Wisconsin to expand tourism marketing reach.
“There is a feeling that we’re attacking an existing entity, that if the system isn’t broken why would we try and fix it?” said Mayor Paine.
“But this conversation really isn’t about that entity at all. Travel Superior would have the same opportunities as everybody else to apply for funds from a commission,” he said. “All we’re asking them to do is earn it.”
The Mayor also says a commission would be the only way tourism tax money could go toward potentially building a convention center within the City of Superior.
Representatives from other businesses such as the World of Accordions Museum and PS Advertising spoke in favor of the Mayor’s proposal. A representative from Nummi Jewelers spoke in favor of the work Travel Superior’s been doing.
The proposal was referred to a special Committee of the Whole Meeting for more discussion. Councilor Fennessey tells us, a decision could be delayed two weeks.
Meanwhile, this possible change in the way tourism tax dollars are handled in Superior comes after a political battle over tourism dollars in Duluth by Mayor Emily Larson, which ultimately ended with the decision to outsource nearly $2 million in the city’s marketing budget to a company out of the Twin Cities.
