Visit Sitka has secured money to cover operations through the end of 2024, but the organization may see more scrutiny from the Sitka Assembly during the budget process for next year.
When the assembly met on Tuesday (12-26-23), it approved an additional $150,000 from the Visitor Enhancement Fund for the Sitka Chamber of Commerce to provide visitor services through next December. The city contracts with the Chamber to provide visitor services, which they do through their nonprofit arm Visit Sitka. Much of the funding for those services comes from the city’s bed tax.
Assembly member Thor Christianson opposed the additional funds. He said that Visit Sitka is too focused on cruise visitors.
“I feel like it is morphed into a cruise ship passenger support system.” Christianson said. “Some of it is dual use, but mostly it’s for cruise ship passengers and this isn’t cruise ship passenger money. This is ‘independent traveler’ money.”
Much of the funding for those services comes from the city’s bed tax, which is collected from travelers staying at hotels or other short-term lodging in Sitka.
Assembly member Tim Pike agreed with Christianson that the contract between the Chamber of Commerce and the city needed to be revisited. However, Pike said they’d agreed to fund the contract for visitor services through the fiscal year, and that’s what this vote was about.
“What you’re saying is absolutely correct. Now is the moment where we should start talking about this. But I think it’s all in laying out what we are going to ask for when we are offering RFP,” Pike said. “This is what we’ve already agreed to do with this group,” Pike added. “This gets them through the end of their contract.”
Ultimately the assembly approved the item 5-1 on second reading with Christianson opposed.
