Pima County supervisors have given the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau an ultimatum - no more money until it explains how it has spent what it already has received.
Four months into the fiscal year, the county hasn't made any scheduled payments to the bureau after repeated requests for an accounting report have been ignored. The bureau was scheduled to receive $2.6 million from the county over the course of the year.
Supervisors Ramón Valadez and Ray Carroll have been requesting the details for months. In February, the pair, representing the Board of Supervisors, met with Jonathan Walker, president and CEO of the bureau.
After waiting months for answers, they asked Walker to appear before the full board at its Nov. 2 meeting to explain how the bureau promotes tourism here. Walker didn't show up, and he sent a representative instead. Then, the supervisors put it on the Nov. 9 agenda. Same thing. Now they've bumped the invitation to Nov. 16 (tomorrow), and if Walker still doesn't appear, the supervisors say they'll continue to withhold the tax revenues until they get some answers.
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A receptionist said neither Walker nor bureau Vice President Rick Vaughn, the only two representatives of the bureau authorized to comment, was available.
Pima County must distribute the tax revenue, paid largely by tourists, to a local agency that has the aim of promoting tourism. It doesn't have to go to the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau, but county officials acknowledge that there's no other obvious organization qualified to receive it.
"We have to use this money for promotion of sports and tourism, but we don't have to give it to them. We could even put this type of requirement out to bid," Carroll said. "It could be the private sector or some other group."
Although a representative of the bureau came to the past two meetings, the supervisors want to hear from the top.
"We just want to know what they're doing to contribute to the local economy," Valadez said. "It's not a hard sell; we just want some answers. They haven't done a very good job of telling their story about what they do and how they're using what I consider public monies."
Carroll said he has specific concerns about the lack of information, and he questioned whether the bureau supports what is best for the community.
In addition to the answers some board members want, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said he would like to see a performance audit conducted by a county committee. The audit would focus on whether the bureau is effective in attracting tourism, and whether the resorts in Pima County are happy with the bureau's service.
Supervisor Ann Day said last week that she liked the audit requirement and wanted more information from the bureau.
"I have questions, but I'm not going to ask them since no one is here to answer us," she said at the last board meeting.
Contact reporter Andrea Kelly at akelly@azstarnet.com or 807-7790.
