Turlock council discusses visitors bureau finances

The City Council did not get into details Tuesday night on questions raised about $241,297 spent on attracting visitors, but members said it should not be seen as an attack on this program’s management.

The issue involves the Turlock Convention and Visitors Bureau as the end nears for its operation under the Turlock Chamber of Commerce. The chamber announced in February that it would pull out after 24 years, effective Sunday. The bureau is funded by the city hotel tax, and the council has launched a search for a new contractor.

The review involves spending from 2009 to 2014 for purposes that “appear to be contractually unallowable,” according to a letter from City Attorney Phaedra Norton to the chamber Friday.

About a third of the total involves maps and directories produced for the bureau. Other questioned items include $10,000 for chamber events, $7,000 for scholarships and several transfers among budget categories. The chamber also exceeded the limit for administrative costs in some years, according to the letter.

Councilman Bill DeHart said city officials should be careful in discussing the review, which does not involve legal violations. He noted, for example, that the maps and directory were produced as promised.

Councilman Steve Nascimento also urged caution. “I think it’s unfortunate,” he said. “We have had a very good relationship with our business community, and I would like that relationship to continue.”

Councilwoman Amy Bublak, who had been appointed to examine the books in detail, said she has not been able to get invoices or other records to justify the spending.

Kellie Jacobs-Hunter, director of administrative services for the city, said she will meet with the chamber again Friday to discuss the matter. No one from the chamber addressed the council Tuesday or has commented to The Modesto Bee.

Bublak had raised concerns about financial records when she dissented in a 4-1 vote in November on the bureau’s budget for 2015. Mayor Gary Soiseth was not in office yet, but he urged a rethinking of the chamber contract as part of his 100-day review of city services.

Also Tuesday, the council held a discussion with the Associated Students Inc. at California State University, Stanislaus. Officers said they would like to see more internships in city government, a shuttle from the campus to downtown and other destinations, and promotion of events taking place at the school.

As of press time, the council had not voted on three other major items. One is a 10-year contract to send trash to the landfill and waste-to-electricity plant near Crows Landing. Another is the sale of the former police headquarters to the Turlock Irrigation District. The last is a design contract for a skate park at Donnelly Park because the current skating site is part of the sale to TID.

This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 8:53 PM with the headline "Turlock council discusses visitors bureau finances."