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NewsCouncil Votes To Increase Budgeted Support for LB Convention & Visitors Bureau By $250,000 Over Last Year's Level
(September 25, 2000) Despite a high visibility then-pending audit of certain claimed hotel room bookings by the Long Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), the Long Beach City Council has voted to increase the level of budgeted support for CVB by a quarter of a million dollars above the previous year's adopted budgeted level.
The Council-approved budgeted level of support for CVB for the Oct. 1, 2000-Sept. 30, 2001 fiscal year has now risen to $3,729,000. Ths sum is comprised of:
$3,579,000 for the City's LB CVB contract;
$115,000 for a Rose Parade Float;
$35,000 for "Mayor and City Council Grand Prix Events"
Last year's Council-adopted budgeted level for LB CVB was $3,479,000, comprised of $3,329,000 budgeted for the City's LB CVB contract, and the same amounts as the new fiscal year for the Rose Parade float and Grand Prix events.
Roughly 3/4 of CVB's annual budget comes from City Council authorized support with public revenue. The revenue comes from the city's "transient occupancy" tax (hotel bed tax). The Council approved the quarter million dollar increase in the budgeted level of support for CVB when the Council adopted City Hall's 2000-2001 budget.
The Council voted on the budget during two separate meetings, initially approving the budget framework on September 12 with final budget adoption on September 19. No Councilmember publicly questioned the quarter million dollar increase in the level of support for CVB during either Council session.
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