Town of Pinedale, WY Chapter 92 Travel and Tourism Commission

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of Pinedale 6-28-2010 by Ord. No. 456 (Ch. 2.36 of the 1983 Municipal Code); amended in its entirety 11-22-2021 by Ord. No. 693. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 92-1 Title.

The ordinance codified in this chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Travel and Tourism Commission Ordinance."

§ 92-2 Creation of Commission.

There shall be and there is hereby created, subject to its abolition by the Town Council at any time and for any reason, a Travel and Tourism Commission composed of five members to be appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Town Council. These members shall serve without compensation, representing as nearly as possible the local travel and tourism industry within the Town.

§ 92-3 Appointment and terms.

A. One Town Council member appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Town Council or the Mayor, at his or her option, shall be a member of the Commission. The remaining four standard members shall also be appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the Town Council.

B. Appointments shall run from July 1 of each year and each appointed member shall serve for a term of three years. The Town Council member or Mayor, at his or her option, shall be appointed for the term of office of such person and can be replaced by another Council member or Mayor at his or her option during that term at the discretion of the Mayor with the approval of the Town Council.

C. Any member of the Board may be removed at any time by the Mayor with or without cause.

D. A reappointment to said Commission may be made at the expiration of three years.

E. Members must either be a resident of the Town or actively engaged in business within the Town either as an owner or employee.

§ 92-4 Filling of vacancies.

Vacancies occurring in the office of a member of the Commission shall be filled by appointment as in the first instance, and such appointee shall serve for the remainder of the then-current unexpired term of such office.

§ 92-5 Organization and officers.

Immediately following their appointment, the members of the Commission shall meet, organize, elect a Chairman, a Vice Chairman, a Secretary/Treasurer and such other officers as they may deem necessary and adopt and later change or alter rules and regulations of organization and procedure consistent with Town ordinances and state laws and subject to approval by the Town Council.

§ 92-6 Voting.

Each member of the Commission shall have one vote.

§ 92-7 Duties.

A. The Commission shall advise the Town Council in the administration of the revenues collected by the Town from the lodging tax imposed under WS § 39-15-203(a)(ii) and of the expenditure of all such funds, the primary purpose of which is for local travel and tourism promotion. All such expenditures shall only be made as comply with the annual budget approved by the Town Council. Expenditures for travel and tourism promotion shall be limited to promotional materials, travel for promotion, digital advertising, marketing platforms, digital asset development, television and radio advertising, printed advertising, promotion of tours, and support of events reasonably likely to draw out-of-Town overnight visitors and other specific tourism-related objectives and administration.

B. The Commission shall file an annual report with the Town Council, setting forth its activities and analytics for the year.

C. The Commission shall keep written records of its proceedings, which shall be open at all times to public inspection. Monthly reports of the Commission's activity shall be made to the Town Council in person by a representative of the Commission. This report shall include copies of the minutes of all meetings held by the Commission since the last monthly report to the Town Council.

D. The Commission shall prepare an operating budget for each fiscal year and shall submit such budget to the Town Council for approval not less than two months prior to the commencement of such fiscal year.

E. The Commission shall prepare a comprehensive promotion and marketing plan in order to attract local travelers and tourism, looking to the present and future development and growth of the Town.

F. The Commission is an agency of the Town and shall fully comply with all provisions of Articles 2 and 4 of Chapter 4 of Title 16 of the Wyoming Statutes relating to public records and public meetings.

§ 92-8 General authority; spending authority.

A. The Commission shall have the following general authority:

(1) To arrange and conduct any form of publicity relative to its activities for the general purpose of public understanding and awareness;

(2) To cooperate with municipal or regional lodging tax commissions and other agencies or groups to further its goals and objectives and to assure harmonious and integrated promotion of the Town;

(3) To exercise such other powers germane to the powers granted by statute and this chapter.

B. The Commission shall have limited spending authority. Expenditures may be approved by the Commission if said expenditures are contained within the annual budget approved by the Town Council. All expenditures shall conform with the Town's Procurement Policy as adopted. Contracts, once recommended to the Town Council, may only be executed by the Mayor.

§ 92-9 Majority vote.

A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, which shall be transacted by a majority vote of the members constituting such quorum in all matters except recommendations to the Town Council for the Council's official consideration and action, which shall require a majority vote of all the appointed members.

§ 92-10 Funds and appropriations.

There is hereby created a special revenue fund to be known as the "Lodging Tax Fund" to account for the lodging taxes as distributed by the Wyoming Department of Revenue and Taxation to the Town Clerk/Treasurer. Distributions from said account shall be made by the Town on individual sworn itemized vouchers for services and goods provided to the Commission. These vouchers, prior to payment, shall first be approved by the Secretary/Treasurer or the Chairman of the Commission and then submitted to and approved by the Town Council.