CVB discusses executive director position, outstanding bills

The board of trustees of the Highland County Convention and Visitor's Bureau met Thursday afternoon to discuss the hiring of a new executive director. However, not enough board officers were in attendance for an executive session to be called. 

Board secretary/treasurer Kathryn Hapner said that she had sent out an email to all board members asking anyone who was interested to review the resumés. Hapner said that board vice president Tom Horst was the only person who responded to that email. Of the approximately 15 resumés they had received Hapner said she and Horst had three candidates to recommend the board consider for interviews. Hapner said she hoped to have interviews some time next week. 

Other board members said they would have liked to have been a part of the selection process. Hapner said everyone had the opportunity, but Horst was the only one who responded. Some board members said they did not interpret the email in that manner, and some board members did not receive the email. 

Hapner said that board members Ron Current and Bob Lambert could not be a part of the process because they had both applied for the executive director position. 

Current said that he had considered withdrawing his application because he was new to the board and he was unaware when he applied for the position that, "it was so political in nature."

Hapner said that she and Horst were prepared to make a recommendation on the final pool of candidates. She anticipated that the only major item on the agenda would be for the officers to go into executive session to discuss the potential hires. 

However, Horst, and board president Kirby Ellison were not in attendance. Hapner said that Ellison draws up the agenda. 

The board members, including Suzanne Hopkins and Betty Bishop, agreed that hiring an executive director needed to be the number one priority, and a meeting was scheduled for Monday, March 14 at 12:30 p.m. at the Highland County Senior Center to discuss the candidates.

Hapner said board members could pick up copies of all the resumés at her office to read before the next meeting. 

Many of the candidates, Hapner said, she and Horst had proposed to eliminate she knew through their references that they were unsuitable, or it was clear from the cover letter the applicant did not understand what sort of job they were applying for. 

Hillsboro City Council member Rod Daniels, who was also in attendance at the meeting, asked Hapner what the CVB budget is per year. She said that they have never had a budget, and she is currently working on one, and that the organization takes in $20,000 to $25,000 per year. The funds come from the "bed tax" from county hotels. 

Daniels asked Hapner who they filed the minutes of the meetings with. Hapner said they kept the minutes for when the organization was audited every two years, but they did not file them. 

"We're not a government agency," Lambert said. 

Daniels said, "But you receive tax dollars."

"We're funded by Highland County, but we're not a Highland County agency," Lambert said. 

Hapner said that anyone may have a copy of the minutes, but it has to be requested.

Regarding the hiring of a new director, Daniels said that he appreciated the work the board was doing, but, "with $20,000 in revenue, it needs to be structured." 

In other business, Hapner said that other than a few outstanding bills the CVB basically has no expenses "because we're not doing anything" while the search is ongoing for an executive director. Bills included Time Warner Cable, South East Ohio Publications, Longs Retreat and the bureau's post office box. 

Hapner reported that she paid the "undisputed" portion of a bill to Ohio Community Media, which owns The Times-Gazette. The advertising costs to the publication have been the source of much discussion in recent months with the bureau.  Hapner and Horst had previously questioned items the CVB is being billed for that had not been approved by previous executive director Sara Lukens. Some items that appear on the advertising invoice board member Sharon Hughes, who is a Times-Gazette advertising representative, had openly told the board they would not be charged for. Some items, including a website banner ad Hughes said would not be charged to the bureau, remains on the invoice, according to Hapner. 

"I paid $3,161.27 to the Ohio Community Media," Hapner said. "That is the undisputed portion of the bill. 

A bill received this week, she said, shows the board still owes $5,506, which did not reflect the recent payment, or the payment of a classified ad for the executive director position.  

"I didn't pay for the banner web ad," Hapner said, "because Sharon said we would not be charged. There is also an item listed as 'bicycle brochure.' I talked to Sara (Lukens) and no one knows what that is."

The CVB is being charged $1,500 on the invoice for the brochure.

Hughes was not present when the meeting began. When she was asked what the 'bicycle brochure' was she said she didn't know. Hughes was asked who did the invoicing for the company, and she said she wasn't sure, but that it was done out of the corporate office and not locally. 

Hapner said that the board was still being charged and they needed to make sure it was actually a product that was printed if they are being charged. No board said they had seen the brochure. 

Hughes then said Lukens, "had scheduled a bicycle brochure and she left and she scrapped it ... Kirby and I took that off of there. You don't have to worry about it. Don't worry about it at all."

Lambert asked if it was "a work in progress."

"I told them to stop. I said, 'just leave it,'" Hughes said. "They did all that work. They had to schedule with the printer, but it's scrapped."

Current said that maybe it's a project the board would want to pursue if they knew more about it. 

Also regarding future projects, the board discussed a proposed bass fishing tournament at Rocky Fork Lake that had been proposed by the Alabama Fishing Organization (AFO). The organization sent the CVB a contract asking that they sponsor the tournament by paying $500 and providing three hotel rooms for the tournament, which is an estimated cost of $1,000.

Board members said they would like to learn more, especially if it will bring people into Highland County, but that in their history they have not been event sponsors, rather event supporters. 

"We are here to support anyone who wants to come into the county," Hughes said. 
 

The board agreed to focus on getting a new director hired, and then learn more about AFO and potentially sponsoring the tournament.