Tax board optimistic about revenue

Tucumcari’s revenue from motel taxes in the just-completed fiscal year was only about $8,900 less than projections, giving optimism to the city’s Lodgers Tax Advisory Board the coronavirus pandemic’s effects won’t be as severe as predicted.

City Finance Director Rachelle Arias said the city completed its fiscal year with $583,328 in motel taxes, compared to the projected total of $592,238.

May motel-tax collections totaled $39,385, which was 31% below the projection of $55,503. But the Lodgers Tax Board’s executive fund and promotions fund ended up with more funds on hand than the previous month because of fewer expenses or recovered money.

Arias said the city has reduced motel-tax revenue projections for the 2020-2021 fiscal year to $580,000 from the previous $630,000. The promotions board has spent much less money this year because all but one of its subsidized events have been canceled by the pandemic.

Board Chairman Larry Smith, who owns Motel Safari, said his business had a “good” June, and July was looking improved, as well.

“I think it’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” he said.

Smith said many Americans have decided against flying and instead are doing road trips for vacations. He said small towns are safer to overnight travelers compared to large cities during the pandemic.

Smith said Tucumcari’s historic motels also have proven attractive to some travelers because they don’t have elevators or shared hallways where COVID-19 might lurk in the air.

Board member Lila Doughty agreed, saying she’s received calls from several travelers who want to park in front of their room’s door at the Palomino Motel she manages.

Todd Duplantis, a city commission liaison for the board, pushed back somewhat on the semi-rosy outlook. He said he’s doing OK but estimates he lost 75% of anticipated business at his two Tucumcari restaurants mostly because a travel ban has kept Europeans from traveling Route 66 this summer.

“We were looking at a banner year,” he said, before the coronavirus hit.

Smith said the board and city commission probably will analyze its various revenue streams in September and see whether the budgets should be revised.

In other business:

• Smith asked acting city manager Martinez whether there was a noise ordinance in the city’s books after enduring three weeks of fireworks noise. Martinez said he wasn’t aware of one.

“We need it,” Smith said. “It’s not very welcoming to tourists when they’re trying to sleep when it sounds like a war zone.”

Doughty agreed, noting fireworks were going off after 2 a.m. after the Fourth of July.

Board member Matt Bednorz said he talked one vendor who said local fireworks sales were “way up” because “there’s nothing else to do” with many activities canceled or restricted by COVID-19.

Duplantis said if the city enacts a noise ordinance, it must be careful how it enforces it. He said many noise-complaint citations in Denver were thrown out of court because law enforcement lacked equipment to prove how loud the noise was.

• Martinez said he would like to discuss with the board and city commission about hiring a marketing position in the coming weeks. He said with Quay County experiencing “minimal” cases of COVID-19, the region could market itself to travelers wanting to avoid the virus in larger cities. The position is “something I think the city needs,” he said.

• Martinez said an individual who wants to base a filmed music series in Tucumcari likely will make a presentation in August or September. He said he’s been in contact with the filmmaker since spring.

• Martinez said more improvements were coming to the Tucumcari Convention Center, including new flooring. He said when the city soon pays off its loan on the building, it will free up more money for additional improvements.

• Smith asked Martinez whether the city’s old “Tucumcari Tonite” banners could be found so they could be put up after the Tucumcari High School Class of 2020 banners come down. Smith said because the board is spending almost no money on events this year, it should use some of that money for new brackets if needed.

• Connie Loveland, executive director Tucumcari MainStreet, said meetings to consult with the state MainStreet program on a Tucumcari branding effort keep getting delayed because of the pandemic. She said she hopes to have data on that effort by the fall.

Bednorz said he wants to secure new billboards to advertise Tucumcari on the next meeting’s agenda. “We’ve got all this money sitting there. We need to get going,” he said.

• Board member Al Patel asked Loveland whether she would be amenable to the board buying more Christmas decorations for the Very Merry Tucumcari holiday event. Loveland said she was tentatively planning for the event but hesitant because of the pandemic already had canceled numerous festivals.

Martinez said the city ought to explore durable and efficient LED neon lighting versus regular neon as a way to promote Route 66 and Main Street.