Officials take steps to guide county's own tourist agency

A schedule has now been established for Columbia County to set up its Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The timeline was presented to members of the county's community and emergency services committee Monday, establishing what steps would be needed to create a CVB.

Committee members accepted the timeline as information only.

First, a Convention and Visitors Bureau steering committee would need to be established in August to formulate the constituency of a Convention and Visitors Bureau Board and the objectives of the bureau, a county staff report states.

In September, the Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors would be appointed and nonprofit status would be established.

A director position would be announced in October, and Columbia County would distribute 40 percent of its hotel/motel tax revenue to its new bureau.

In November, the bureau would develop five-year goals and objectives, among other things, and review bureau director applicants. A director would be selected in December, and by January 2006, the director would start work, according to a county report.

The new CVB is being planned for the county in light of a recent push by county commissioners to have more promotion of Columbia County within the county. In the past, the county has sent 40 percent of its hotel/motel tax money to the Augusta CVB for promotional efforts.

In other action at the committee meeting, members agreed to a communications memorandum of understanding between Columbia County and Fort Gordon's fire department.

"It's to share some communication frequencies so we can talk to one another,'' said Pam Tucker, Columbia County's emergency services director.

Tucker told committee members no money would be involved in the agreement.

Members of the planning and engineering services committee also discussed the possibility of increasing building permit fees to help offset the cost of another needed inspector position, but committee members decided to table the item to allow builders more time to voice their suggestions and concerns.