Tourism, commission can’t reach agreement

By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

Reaching an agreement between the tourism board and board of county commissioners has been no vacation.

While the Columbus County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to approve the tourism board’s request to add additional members, they were hesitant to approve a memorandum of understanding that is eight months in the making. The board decided to table the matter for one month.

The board made it clear Monday they want more say in how the money is spent and who supervises the department’s one employee.

Commissioner James Prevatte said the memorandum left unanswered questions and he wanted to know who sets the director’s salary, who approves travel expenses, and who is responsible for day-to-day operations.

The county manager should supervise the director, Prevatte said.

“What are you saying, Mr. Prevatte, that this needs some tweaking?” Chairman Sammie Jacobs asked.

County Attorney Steve Fowler began taking notes and responded to Prevatte’s remarks by clarifying that the agreement should state who sets the salary, approves travel expenses, oversees day to day operations and holds in an account the revenues from the occupancy tax.

“If you are a county employee, someone okays your travel and okays your expenditures,” Prevatte said.

While Prevatte agreed that the tourism board is responsible for how the money is spent, he had issues with salary expenses.

“Once a person is on our salary schedule, nobody has the right to give $5,000 or $10,000 raise unless it is approved by the commissioners,” Prevatte said.

“I have some concerns also with the tourism director,” Commissioner Ronald Gore said, pointing out that rent is being paid on an office in the Chamber of Commerce building in Whiteville. “I think the tourism director needs to be in one of our offices.”

Gore also had questions about money paid to Whiteville for electricity in the amount of $200 a month.

“Everything is paid out of the occupancy tax,” Tourism Director Jennifer Long said. “There is no ad valorem for that.”

Long also pointed out the $200 a month was a contribution toward lighting along one of the 74/76 exits. The City of Whiteville pays the remainder of the bill that ranges from $350 to $650 per month.

All of the tourism department’s funding comes from occupancy taxes from hotels, campgrounds and other accommodations by state statute and is to be used only for tourism purposes. In fiscal year 2005-2006 the occupancy tax generated more than $74,000 in revenue.

Controversy first arose in June 2006 when the Columbus County Board of Commissioners objected to a six percent salary increase for Tourism Director Jennifer Long. The Tourism Board had voted to increase Long’s salary but the commissioners argued it wasn’t fair to other county employees who would only get the three percent cost of living adjustment and two percent 401k contributions.

The News Reporter learned that between January 2006 and June 2006 certain employees received raises of up to $5,000 that never came before the commissioners in open session.

The county refused to release salary information from that time period and would release only information related to the most recent pay raises that occurred in June 2006 when all employees and commissioners received an across-the-board pay raise. Five employees that are maintenance workers at SCC were the only exception. They later received raises.