http://66.225.205.104/JR20110627b.mp3
Charlotte's main tourism and convention office will have to wait another month to learn if it will get full funding from the city. The decision had been scheduled for tonight's city council meeting, but seven members of the council and Mayor Anthony Foxx say they still need more information. Unwritten bonus agreements and vague expense reporting policies at the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority are key concerns of the city council. Also weighing on the council's mind is the lackluster performance of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which the CRVA runs. A recent $25,000 audit of the CRVA, paid for with tax dollars, yielded a report so brief it angered Mayor Anthony Foxx and other council members and led them to withhold budget funds. Tonight, the council will approve a short-term line of funding for CRVA so it can keep the lights on until July 25 when the council will make a decision about the full $10 million allocation the CRVA needs. Today, the CRVA board did release a more detailed report from auditors at Pricewaterhouse Coopers who say they've gone "above and beyond" their original agreement and put their findings in writing. The report recommends the CRVA develop a more transparent way of compensating staff members for extra work done hosting big events like the CIAA basketball tournament. The CRVA says it will have a new policy in place by September 1. The auditor's report also suggests a more detailed policy on the types of expenses that are acceptable in recruiting conventions to Charlotte. The CRVA Board has yet to say if the agency's CEO - Tim Newman - will keep his job when his contract expires in three days.