The Daviess County Council heard a report from the Daviess County Visitors Bureau at its March meeting on Wednesday morning. Daviess County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Joe Morris told the council members that reports show that, on average, each out-of-county visitor spends $100 in Daviess County when attending special events. Morris told the Council that sports tourism is a big driver in the local economy, pointing to three youth basketball tournaments recently hosted by Washington and Barr-Reeve. Morris also listed the Antique Tractor Show, Dinkey’s Auctions, and the up-coming Wine and Brew Fest. Morris also told the council that the Daviess County Tourism Bureau had been spreading the word about the county by attending and exhibiting at state and regional exhibitions and fairs. In addition, Morris explains the recently developed “Daviess Made” labeling developed for locally made products. Morris told the council that the local in-keepers tax had generated $275,000 already this fiscal year, with county tourism running ahead of projections. The Council voted to establish a separate county fund to hold in-keeper tax generated funds for the Tourism Bureau.
The Council also heard reports from IRACS director Vanessa Phillips and the Daviess Advances Recovery Access Consortium, represented by Community Corrections Director Laura Petty and Peer Recovery representative Brian Peek, outlining the proposed distribution of restricted and unrestricted Opium Settlement Funds the County has received.
The Council also agreed to proceed with a tax abatement request on real property from Strongbox, the developers of the WestGate project. Strongbox representative Paul Kite told the Council the original 100,000 sq. ft. The building has already been expanded to 125,000 sq. ft. The Council will take final action on the request at its April meeting.
In other business, the Council approved the request of Discover Downtown Washington for $20,000 in economic development funds for the Quick Impace Facade Grant program. The Council also approved a request from Superior Court Judge Dean Sobecki for overtime pay for the court reporter and approved requests from the Health Department to designate a physician to deal with tuberculosis in the county and appropriate funds from a grant to monitor lead levels in the blood of children. The Council also approved additional appropriations in the County Solid Waste budget to allow for the purchase of additional rock lining and a new compactor for the County Landfill.
