Dripping Springs to acquire visitors bureau

DRIPPING SPRINGS — Following the retirement of Dripping Springs Visitors Bureau (DSVB) President and CEO Pam Owens earlier this year, the Dripping Springs City Council approved an agreement on June 6 for the transfer of operations of DSVB to the city.

The Visitors Bureau is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes tourism and works to connect visitors/guests and the community. For visitors, the bureau provides informative maps, brochures and literature that guides them toward getting the most out of their visit. Every year, the Visitors Bureau puts on several popular events in Dripping Springs including the Songwriters Festival, Brewers Festival and Wedding Capital of Texas Showcases.

According to the agreement, the board of directors of DSVB will vote to cease operations and dissolve the 501(c)(3) after the disposition of all funds by Dec. 31. Upon the dissolution, all assets will be transferred to the city.

The DSVB will compensate the city for payroll administration services and employee expenses related to the services provided by the tourism employees to the city. Payments shall not exceed the amount of current funds of the bureau and shall not include funds restricted to a specific event or a specific purpose, unless the expense is for the purpose of the restricted fund, according to the agreement.

“We are going to create, basically, a department within the city that deals with the Visitors Bureau business,” said City Attorney Laura Mueller. “We have absorbed the two full-time employee positions, but only the brand manager is at the city currently. We will create a new city board for this city department, [but] we are still discussing what that is going to look like.”

During the transition of operations and assets, Owens, retired CEO and president of the DSVB, will manage the Songwriters Festival. She will be paid $8,000 to run the event; the Visitors Bureau has already paid $1,000 and the city will pay the remaining amount, which will be reimbursed by the DSVB.

Also during the transition, Bonnie Humphrey will assist with the transfer of accounting. She will be compensated $120 an hour, according to the professional services agreement.

“When I worked for the chamber and left five years ago, this was the vision, so it’s kind of cool that it’s come to be,” said council member Sherrie Parks, as the discussion and process of transitioning the DSVB has been in the works for a while.