Visitor Impact Task Force

• Study the impact of tourism on City infrastructure, services, and facilities, and investigate opportunities to offset those impacts.by using Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues;
• Review of current uses of Hotel Occupancy Taxes and the impact of those activities and expenditures on tourism in the City;
• Review of current tourist activity in the City of Austin and what events, venues, or facilities those tourists attend while visiting;
• Review of State and National best practices for tourism programs;
• Review of Texas Tax Code Chapter 351 and allowable uses of Hotel Occupancy Taxes under the Tax Code including parks, historic preservation, cultural heritage, music, arts, special events, fee waivers, convention, visitors bureau, transportation, downtown districts, venues and other facilities and debt defeasance for city-owned hotels and convention facilities;
• Review the Austin Convention Center expansion, all possible design options and potential funding mechanisms; and
• Make recommendations to the City Council about how to best utilize all hotel occupancy revenue to impact tourism by April 1, 2017.

See Resolution 20160818-075

Members:

• Gavin Garcia, Music Industry Representative
• Catlin Whitington, Music Industry Representative
• Lulu Flores, Arts Community Representative
• Mari Ben Ramsey, Arts Community Representative
• James Russell, Special Events Industry Representative
• Julie Niehoff, Special Events Industry Representative
• Tom Noonan, Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau Representative
• Shelly Schadegg, Hotel Industry Representative
• Bill Worsham- Public Safety Community Representative
• Alyson McGee- Preservation Community Representative
• Dan Keshet- Parks Community Representative
• Mark Tester- Convention Center Representative
• Dewitt Peart- Downtown Commission Representative
• Ashwin Ghatalia- Tourism Workforce Representative
• Stephen Sternschein, Tourism Workforce Representative
• Jonathan Mahone- Community Member Representative
• Pam Thompson- Environmental Community Representative
• Skeeter Miller, Restaurant Industry Representative
• Richard Mendoza, Public Works Department Representative (ex-officio)
• Gordon Derr, Transportation Department Representative (ex-officio)