Meeting Notes

Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau

The Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau Board on Thursday:

•Received $25,000 in state tourism money from state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, to help pay for the second phase of Decatur’s way-finding signs.
•Approved a resolution of support for Huntsville International Airport seeking a low-cost passenger airline.
•Reported the bureau had $49,922 in revenue in January and $44,451 in expenses for a net profit of $5,471. For fiscal 2010, bureau expenses have exceeded revenue by $34,848.
•Reported the city collected $62,041 in lodging taxes in November, an 8 percent drop compared to the same month last year. The bureau received 75 percent of it to pay for operating expenses. For the year, lodging taxes are down 26 percent.
•Reported the $2-per-room-night occupancy fee generated $32,754 in November, down 7 percent compared to the same month last year. The fee has generated $136,283 in fiscal 2010, down 17 percent from the same period last year.
•Reported 41 percent of Decatur hotel rooms were occupied in November, down 3 percent from November 2008.
•Reported the Olympic Development Program soccer training camp filled 65 room nights in January, for a $40,500 economic impact. •Reported the Governor’s Cup soccer tournament in November filled 374 room nights, for a $241,000 economic impact; the State Cup soccer tournament the same month filled 535 room nights, for a $344,000 economic impact; and the Silver Sticks hockey tournament in November filled 91 room nights, for a $53,000 economic impact.

by Paul Huggins, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily