The Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors Wednesday approved the agency’s fiscal year 2012 budget of $1.53 million.
Projected expenses include $199,300 to the Columbus-Lowndes Economic Development Link, $226,268.40 for marketing and advertising and $100,000 for special projects. The CVB is funded by a 2-percent hotel and restaurant tax. About $1.32 million of its budget is expected to come from taxes within the city of Columbus and about $99,460 from Lowndes County.
Board member Whirllie Byrd protested the budget was developed without review by the agency’s finance committee.
Byrd said she plans to request a state audit into the CVB.
“Something crooked is going on here,” she told the board, after voting in opposition to the budget. “There’s something wrong with these figures.”
CVB Director Nancy Carpenter noted the budget was drafted by using “records for multiple years” for comparison and the director, in the past, has drafted the budget.
Additionally, she noted the board’s treasurer, Bart Wise, earlier “went over each line item” with the board.
“This is nothing new,” Carpenter said.
“I don’t like blind figures,” Byrd said. “Somebody’s been cooking the books. I need to know what the heck these numbers stand for.”
Another board member, Bernard Buckhalter, also voted against adopting the budget.
“(The budget) was not done properly,” he said, echoing Byrd’s concerns. “I don’t want to approve the budget without going over it.”
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