06-02-10 TBID MinutesBoard of Directors Meeting
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District
Wednesday — June 2, 2010 — 3:00 pm
15 Depot Park, Kalispell, Montana
Minutes
3:10 pm Meeting Called to Order: Chris Walters, Chairman of the Board
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Lori Fisher, David Ginepra, Chris Walters
Board Members Joining the Meeting by Conference Call: Bryan Scott
Board Members Absent: Gib Bissell, Arlinna Wolfe
Staff Present: Joe Unterreiner
Guests Present: Lisa Brown, Red Lion Hotel; Jim Ness, Kalispell Downtown
Association; Pam Carbonari, Kalispell Downtown Business Improvement District
1. Hear from the Public
None.
2. Action
Approval of Minutes of May 19, 2010 — Janet motion was made to approve the May
19 minutes, seconded by David, and approved.
Board Attendance Policy — Chris asked the question, "Should we have an excused
absence policy?" He explained that the TBID bylaws state that a board member may
only miss three meetings a year. The bylaws do not allow for attendance via conference
call or for excused absence due to illness or other reasons. Several things have already
come up including Gib's broken leg, Arlinna's husband's health, and Bryan's work
taking him out of town. After several minutes of discussion, Janet moved to leave the
policy unchanged and to start the effective date for counting attendance as June 16
meeting. The motion was seconded by David and approved 4-1.
Input on Bed Tax Collections — The director of the Montana Office of Tourism asked for
an explanation on 4Q09 and 1Q10 bed tax collections, which show year over year
reductions of 12% and 27% respectively. Those present agreed that 4Q09 that the
12% decline is due to occupancy reductions. They also agreed that the 27%
decrease reported for 1Q10 is due to delinquency of payments by hotel properties,
since revenue and occupancy should be relatively flat v 1Q09.
3. Reports
Chamber Board Approves $40,000 line of credit with TBID — At their meeting of May
25, the Kalispell Chamber Board approved the TBID's request for a $40,000 line of
credit, at no interest, all due and payable on or before December 31, 2010.
Presentation on Downtown Kalispell Activities and Events — Pam Carbonari, Kalispell
downtown business improvement district (BID), and Jim Ness, president of the Kalispell
Downtown Association (KDA), presented information on upcoming activities and events
in downtown Kalispell. Jim said that the group is working on Thursdaff est to be held
on Thursdays from June 24—August 26, 5:00-7:30 pm. A "Run Through History" is a
new 5 K event that will be held September 18. Canadian Days promotion is something
that has good potential. The Canadians save on their provincial tax and the exchange rate
is favorable right now. They love golf trips too. Lisa says that 90% of the golf stays are
booked by Canadians. There is a need for a long-term plan for ad campaigns. Pam said
that the BID has joined the Main Street program. Spring Cleaning on Earth Day was
held. A Walking Tour brochure has been published. There will be opportunities for
sponsorship and advertising for downtown merchants. The downtown logo will be put in
storefront windows and on lamp posts. They are hiring a "host" for downtown Kalispell
to make guests feel welcome and answer questions. The Rod Run is coming up on July
23-24. Taste of Kalispell is resuming August 7.
Q. (Chris) What help would you like to see from the TBID?
A. (Pam and Jim) 1) advertising, 2) promote calendar of events, 3) development of a
Kalispell branding and marketing theme.
All Hotelier Briefing on TBID Rules and Regulations Meeting May 26 — Ten of sixteen
hotels that comprise the TBID were present at the briefing on TBID rules and regulations.
The briefing package was mailed out to the others. The meeting lasted 20 minutes, since
most everyone present were already familiar with how to assess and pay the TBID fee
from earlier meetings.
Board Meeting Schedule (Kalispell Chamber Conference Room at 3:00 pm)
June 16 August 4 September 15 December 8
July 7 August 18 October 13
July 21 September 1 November 10
5:12 Meeting Adjourned
Respectfully Submitted,
Joe Unterreiner, Executive Director
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District
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