http://66.225.205.104/JR20110614a.mp3
The Charlotte City Council sent a stern warning to the Regional Visitors Authority last night in voting to delay approval of next year's budget for the tourism agency. Council members have given the visitors authority until June 27th to "do a little bit more 'buttoning up' of their situation," says Andy Dulin - one of seven city council members who voted to delay approval of $10 million slated for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority - or CRVA. The agency gets most of its money from a tourism tax on hotel rooms, food and beverages, but the council holds the purse strings. Dulin says the vote to delay funding was a strong signal that council members are not happy with the way the CRVA handled a recent audit of its compensation and incentive practices. The CRVA paid PriceWaterhouseCoopers $25,000 for the review. The result was a verbal report to the CRVA board, from which a two-page synopsis was prepared. "Council's got a little bit of a problem with that," says Dulin. Mayor Anthony Foxx noted in a statement the report cost taxpayers "$12,500 a page" and said he expected more detail. After the city council's vote to delay funding, CRVA board chair Joe Hallow said in a statement the tourism agency is focused on providing additional information to the council, which he believes will resolve many of the issues. Several council members say their action was more of a symbolic message than a threat. Councilwoman Nancy Carter says not funding CRVA is "absolutely not" an option. "Too much good work is done by the staff there," says Carter, who voted for the two-week delay in approving CRVA funds. While the city council is unlikely to withhold money from the CRVA, the future of the agency's CEO Tim Newman is less certain. Newman's contract expires June 30 and the CRVA board has not announced whether the contract will be renewed.