1.       PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/ROLL CALL

2.         Chair Ford called the workshop to order at 4:03 pm. Roll call was done.

3.       General Business

a)       Introduction Overview – Leslie Steele said they are up by $3,000. Will be getting the RFP done. Will go up Sept 30 of fiscal year. Will do original campaign.

  She directed to the first page in the booklet.

  Next page is the combined.

  Next page is the revenue.

Keith Dowell entered workshop at 4:07 pm.  

 The budgeting office has caught up. Salaries and contracts are being taken out. Legal services for Mr. Knowles. Have to do a budget amendment that was approved for special event. Advertising when they do their meetings. They are at a good point. They need to decide on good day to have a meeting and can approve the vendor for the marketing RFP. Can approve the 4 companies that requested assistance with their events. After they make recommendations, will have to approve those events.

  Mr. Dubree asked what will happen if they can’t get a quorum. Leslie said they will have a meeting. Reason for this workshop is because they needed to see the budget and make recommendations. Mr. Dubree said once they hire a marketing firm. Leslie that’s why they can do marketing workshops. If there was a need for a meeting, they would go to quarterly.

  Commissioner Dowdell asked for rental and leasing, $24,000.

  Leslie said the next page is the expenditure budget broken down. They did share with budget office that they liked this style. After this year, they have transitioned.    

Linda Dixon walked in at 4:16 pm.

  TDC sponsored events are the events they decide to do that have not been allotted anywhere because they will be sponsored by them.

  Commissioner Holt asked about the ones under the marketing reimbursement. She asked if they are only for right now? Leslie said yes. Commissioner Holt said she wanted to ask a question. She asked if they are not permanent? Leslie said yes.

b)      2022-2023 Financial Outlook

  Leslie referred to the budget worksheets. The budget team got together based off of where they are right now and the recommended budget is the $12, 648.00 for salaries for personnel services. There were no pay increases there. For all the taxes, the total amount comes from personnel services to $16,393.00. She asked if everyone was okay with that. Everyone said yes. The professional legal component and travel per diem is $10,000 for the legal team and $3,600 for travel. The tourism conference is August 31^st through September 2^nd in Boca Raton, for $549 per person. In the past, they only wanted two members to go. It is already at $1,700 without travel and hotel. They need to get with chairman on which direction to go. Communications was for $100 and postage and freight for $200. Marketing Reimbursement is where they reimburse organizations that they partner with that do events and they help with the marketing of the County. This year they are asking for the $45,000. The remaining of the TDC sponsored events is $31,500. The Juneteeth event is out of the events grants fund of the $20,000.00. Commissioner Holt confirmed that the category is different from the other events. Leslie said yes. Commissioner Holt said she asked for the numbers is because she wanted to make sure that the $31,500.00 stayed. It’s going to be a tradition to have Juneteeth. It should be funded separately. Leslie asked if it will be in the marketing component and if the County will promote it? Commissioner Holt said that’s what she wants. Leslie asked if they want it to come out of the marketing dollars? Commissioner Holt said the fishing tournament is a good idea. It should be an annual event. They should do Juneteeth as a County event. They can decide where the money is going to come from but there should be two permanent events that they are going to do to bring as many people in as they can. Leslie said for the marketing dollars they have $103,500.00 that’s been allotted for the marketing firm. In that, the marketing firm would be responsible in the media plan they had them put together. They would be responsible for talking about the Crappy Tournament.

   Leslie said for the marketing dollars they have $103,500.00 that’s been allotted for the marketing firm. In that, the marketing firm would be responsible in the media plan they had them put together. They would be responsible for talking about the Crappy Tournament. Commissioner Holt asked Mr. Dubree how successful would it be if they brought it back. Mr. Dubree said it is expensive, they were spending $20,000.00 to do the tournament. It brings people in but doesn’t generate money for the county. Mr. Dubree thought that the $103,500 was going to be used for bringing people that just want to come to take a trip here. Leslie said for the media plan, that Juneteeth and the tournament would be included and that would be her recommendation. Mr. Dubree said it doesn’t bring a lot of money in his opinion. Leslie said $103,000 is not enough money for marketing. They need to think about making some adjustments. From going to the tourism meetings, the biggest complaint is about the website. Billboards and google ads come up when people are traveling.

  Commissioner Holt said she wants people to come all the time but they have to have a hook. Mr. Dubree said we have a lot of hooks. Commissioner Holt said she understands, but she has some questions. She said if she comes through Quincy, she sees empty stores. In Chattahoochee she sees the river so they need to key in on some things. How do they get people here? Mr. Dubree said they need to run some advertising. Leslie said that’s what the marketing funds will be used for. Commissioner Holt said she’s not debating it just wants a hook to get people to come. Mr. Dubree said he brought it up because they have the $31,500.00 for sponsored events and then they have the $20,000.00 in events. Whether that’s the number they stick with, it’s no problem. They need to separate on events and promoting the County that’s not related to an event.

  Leslie said in other counties, they have smaller events, then the bigger event. Need to separate the money for the bigger event. The bigger event is like the calling card and will go under the events grant fund. The event that is expected to draw in 1,000 to 200 can only get this amount and then the event that draws in 10,000 visitors, this is a hypothetical number, that event can get $20,000.00. Mr. Evans is providing her with his bedroom tax he generates from reggae festival. She said Tallahassee does it like that. Marketing funds is for marketing Gadsden to get people to visit. The other pot of money is for events specifically targeted for larger events.

  Ms. Ford asked for the definition of the other grant. Leslie said they had levels of those grants. Ms. Ford said she is just looking for the category. Leslie said that’s what she is saying. She said ours can be community event grants funds, then it can be larger organization grant funds.

  Mr. Dowdell said they need marketing money for Gadsden County. Leslie said that’s why they need to add an additional pot of money. The $103,000.00 needs to be spent just on marketing this County. Mr. Dubree said they only have $125,000 a year income.

  Ms. Ford said she is thinking about the county coming in for a big celebration to just market the County around May 10^th to June 16th. It’s in one month capsule leading up to the big days and plan. Even come up with a plan with the marketing firm to put Gadsden County on display. Leslie said they need to have a separate pot of events. Ms. Ford asked for the special category. Leslie said corporation events. Ms. Ford liked the community events. Leslie would recommend they get back together to find out where they can get the funding to pay for the additional cost.

  Commissioner Holt said it won’t matter that much if they look at the $103,000 they can use. She asked if the $123,000.00 is what they have all together? Leslie said yes. Commissioner Holt said they can talk about it but don’t have the money. The kicker is if someone is going to buy something they have to have something to buy. They have to have something they want and then they’ll buy it. If they market real hard but they aren’t marketing what they want. She said what to they see when they are driving by? She said they can spend X amount of dollars on marketing but what are they going to market? They will need to do some thinking about this once they leave and will need to have another meeting. Mr. Dubree said that information could be provided by the actual people that are collecting the money now. People that have hotels can say why people are staying there, whether it is for business, or for visiting family. They can say when their busiest seasons are. Commissioner Holt said surveying has been done about the cards for data.

  Mr. Dowdell said Coca Cola was Quincy’s brand. Doesn’t know why they left but if Coca Cola came up, they would talk about Quincy. He asked what happened? Ms. Ford said mainstream took over it. Mr. Dowdell said they need to get it back. Ms. Ford said a guy named Monroe, had it, then he got sick. From her understanding, there was some type of confusion, when they left, that was it. Commissioner Holt said how are they going to get money to go after some of these things. Leslie said for the Tallahassee events, they get money from the TDC and from the Lottery and Walmart. As a smaller county, people tend to want the county to sponsor the whole event as oppose to getting other sponsors to help with an event. Another thing to focus on is what level of sponsorship do they want to have.

  Ms. Ford said they never asked. They have the biggest Trulieve and they don’t give a dime to the county at this time. They responded to her by saying they got all this that’s supposed to be opening up and then so many little small groups keep running. They want it organized. They never had a planning marketing firm to come in. Leslie said that wouldn’t be the county or the TDC, that would be the organization that would do it. What is happening with us, is everyone is coming to the county to pay for their event. They have to be careful with that approach. The county can’t accept money from Trulieve for contributions.

  Commissioner Holt asked Mr. Knowles what state statute says that. Mr. Knowles said they need to remit them to the clerk. Mr. Knowles said there was an issue that the clerk said they were taking money from one of the events. Commissioner Holt asked if there a law for it? Mr. Knowles said another issue was that there had been some communications of vendors. If they want to raise money separately from businesses, particularly if they are not doing business in front of the county. Commissioner Holt said you can go to the state constitution and come on down. She said that is a research question they need him to research. Ms. Ford said the companies down south were donating. Commissioner Holt said they never took an initiative. They have not asked because she felt they need to be better organized. Companies do not want to be bothered. Mr. Knowles said she can send it to Leslie and then she can send it to them. Leslie asked if the CDC accept sponsorships. Commissioner Holt said the board has to approve it. Mr. Knowles said the statute for this board doesn’t say it, it would be the ethics statute. Mr. Dubree said it is more customarily done in other places. Mr. Dubree said they have a hard time getting a quorum together and are now meeting quarterly for them to really put on a major event, especially 4 of them a year. He doesn’t think they have the resources.

  Leslie went to the next item, books publications and subscriptions. Mr. Dubree said he thought they weren’t doing the FADMO. Leslie said it was on the sheet for fiscal year ’22. The entire budget would be $212,568.00. She would like for them to have a meeting to approve some things. Commissioner Holt said they need the conference and they need to go. Leslie said there is money to move around and recommends everyone goes to it and they make a budget amendment. Leslie asked who would be interested in attending. Mr. Dowdell said he would go and Mr. Dubree, Ms. Ford, Ms. Holt. Mr. Dubree asked if they still offer a discount. Leslie said yes.    

Summary Highlight

Fund Balance as of 8/1/2022

Revenue Details

Expenditure Details

c.) Special Events Request Update

  They would like to have a meeting within the next 14 days. Once they decide marketing firm, they can start doing workshops in September. 

  Commissioner Holt asked for deadline for events to be over. Leslie said it is still open. For next year’s events will open 8/31. No, this one is not open anymore. Commissioner Holt said hopefully in the near future, will be going on Economic Development trip. Have to have other boards to go. This one is in the Tennessee, Mississippi board.  

4.       Next Scheduled Meetings

TBD   8/22 OR 8/29? Regular meeting. Meeting will be on 8/29/2022, at 4:30pm.  

5.       Adjournment

  Workshop adjourned at 5:11 pm.