OROVILLE — An effort in Butte County to promote and fund tourism initiatives in the region was renewed for a 10-year term following a unanimous vote at a meeting Tuesday among the Board of Supervisors, several of whom voiced approval of its impact on the county.
The Butte County Tourism Business Improvement District, also known as Explore Butte County, was established in November 2015 and ran for a five-year term before being up for a renewal. Explore Butte County was set up through a non-tax, 2-percent fee that applies to short-term lodging such as hotels throughout the county.
The board set in motion the process for renewal Aug. 11, before hearing public testimony on Sept. 15, during which the board did not receive any protests against it.
Jennifer Macarthy, Butte County deputy administrative officer, presented the agenda item to the board and highlighted a few of the things Explore Butte County has completed over the last five years. They include:
- Creating branding and a website, www.explorebuttecounty.com
- Developing an official Butte County visitors guide
- Creating a tourism ambassador program
- Providing approximately $141,000 to support local events and campaigns
- Introducing Butte County restaurant and museum weeks
In its initial five-year term, the 2-percent fee applied to short-term lodging within local county jurisdictions excluding Gridley, where the city council voted against participating, However, Macarthy said Gridley changed course on the renewal by unanimously voting to join Explore Butte County — if the the board approved the renewal — on Sept. 21.
A nine-member board presides over Explore Butte County, seven in the lodging industry and two representing other forms of tourism in the county.
Supervisor Debra Lucero motioned to approve the renewal, before the vote passed unanimously among the five. Supervisors Bill Connelly, Tami Ritter and Lucero all voiced support for Explore Butte County, while Steve Lambert added he was glad to see Gridley vote to join it.
“It’s a great way to do things — let people tax themselves and be in control of it,” Connelly said.
“To put together a (tourism business improvement district) like this is a dream I had, and I am so glad it came to fruition, because it is the way to go, it is the way to do tourism and it’s evident,” Lucero said.
“There’s so much that is happening in our county and our region that is challenging us. We know that even when we get disaster recovery dollars, we get them so much later than we actually need them. To be focusing on what is still good and what is still a draw with Butte County is really the focus that we need to have. I’m really thankful to the team for putting this together.”
Administrative officer honored
Tuesday’s meeting marked the last for Butte County Chief Administrative Officer Shari McCracken, who announced in June her retirement effective Thursday, Oct. 1.
Lambert cracked he would “begrudgingly” read item 3.02 on the consent agenda recognizing McCracken upon her retirement, “not because it’s not well deserved, but because I hate to see her go.”
McCracken previously worked in Sonoma County before coming to Butte County in 2005, first serving as deputy chief administrative officer, then taking over as interim CAO in November 2017 to replace Paul Hahn, who held the position for more than seven years.
The interim title was removed in April 2018, and during the course of the following two-and-a-half years, McCracken served the county during multiple crises, including the Camp Fire, COVID-19 pandemic, and most recently, the North Complex fires.
Each of the five supervisors, in addition to Andy Pickett, McCracken’s successor, and county counsel Bruce Alpert commended McCracken for her leadership throughout Butte County’s response to the aforementioned emergencies, and later, the recovery process for those affected communities.
McCracken said she retires with “mixed emotions,” leaving the job while the county handles another disaster, but knows the county is in good hands with “one of the best and well-trained staffs in the state.”
She thanked county staff, department heads, the Board of Supervisors, and lastly, her family, before resuming the meeting by saying, “Let’s get back to business,” and was met with applause from county staff present at the meeting.
A separate story on McCracken will appear in Thursday’s print edition.
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Butte County tourism district renewed for 10-year term - Chico Enterprise-Record
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