6/8/1993 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I U JUN = 3 M1, BOOK 8 9 rn F783 Chairman Bird asked, and Commissioner Macht confirmed that he was suggesting a permanent increase to 3 He added that many communities charge a lot more than 3%. Discussion ensued, and Attorney Collins advised that the Board could levy an additional 1% by extraordinary vote of the Board (at least 4 Commissioners) or by referendum, and the change must be accomplished by an ordinance. The increase would take effect on the 1st day of the 2nd month following approval of the ordinance. The ordinance hearing must be advertised in the normal procedure two weeks prior to the meeting. Commissioner Tippin noted from reading past minutes, newspaper articles, and letters that this has been a controversial matter since its inception. He expressed his support of the criteria established by the TDC and stated that it is not easy to dispense funds f airly and get the most bang f or the buck. He commented that there will be about $29,000 from the City's 1992-93 fiscal year allocation that they do not plan to spend, and he suggested using that money to accommodate some of the funding requests for the 1993-94 fiscal year. Director Baird clarified that the exact amount is $29,281 and is in addition to the $475,000. He cautioned that if we spend all our cash forward during 1993-94, it will not be available in the future. chairman Bird appreciated Commissioner Macht " s ef f orts to f ind another alternative. He wanted to f ind out how people in the industry f eel about increasing the tourist tax. He expressed concern that if the tourist tax is increased to 3%, more requests for money will come in, and we will end up with another shortfall. However, he agreed that all the requests currently before the Board were worthwhile, and whether you are bringing people here or helping them enjoy their stay, it is all interrelated. Commissioner Macht reminded the Board that the City has warned us that a referendum might be held to cancel their participation in the tourist tax if we do not allocate some of the funds to them. He stressed that this is an example of needless controversy. Chairman Bird did not know how we were going to be able to resolve the controversy between the TDC and the Vero Beach City Council. He stressed that a large portion of the funds was allocated to the City in prior years. Director Baird mentioned that the State has been unable to determine whether tourist tax revenues come from District 1 or District 2 because it is not clear on the sales tax f orm. It is equally difficult- to detdrmine whether a funding- allocation benefits District 1, District 2, or both. 30