Colorado Springs’ convention and visitors bureau will not be able to retain $142,494 it owes the city government under a recommendation the City Council will consider today.
Two weeks ago, Terry Sullivan, president and CEO of Experience Colorado Springs, the convention and visitors bureau, asked the council for permission to keep a portion of the $342,494 it owes the city to wage a marketing campaign in Texas and possibly northern Colorado to counter the negative publicity that has hit Colorado Springs in recent months.
“With the much of the unfortunate national media attention being given to Colorado Springs, it is a time where I believe marketing is more important than ever before,” Sullivan said today. “So in order to assure that we have a good, strong summer, advertising of the destination is essential.”
Every year, the city establishes a contract with the bureau based on estimated Lodgers and Auto Rental Tax revenue. The city pays the bureau monthly based on that contract.
In 2009, the estimates were too high.
A reconciliation of estimated versus actual revenue showed that the bureau owes $342,494 because the estimated revenue exceeded actual revenue for 2009, documents state.
The city administration is recommending that the council deny the bureau’s request and collect the entire amount that’s owed.
“Providing this additional funding would require general fund reductions of the same amount,” Terri Velasquez, the city’s chief financial officer, said in a report to the council.
Sullivan said the administration’s recommendation doesn’t give him “much hope.”
Velasquez said the bureau could use its reserves to pay for the proposed marketing plans.
But Sullivan seemed reluctant to do that, saying the bureau has about $1 million in reserves but will have even less if it pays the city the $342,494 in LART money.
“We like to keep that cushion there,” he said.
“But Sullivan seemed reluctant to do that, saying the bureau has about $1 million in reserves but will have even less if it pays the city the $342,494 in LART money.
“We like to keep that cushion there,” he said.”
I am sure Mr. Sullivan would love to keep the money but frankly I would rather see the money go to Colorado Springs Police, Fire, streetlights, and pothole filling. Mr. Sullivan needs to return the money that is owed and quit whining.
“I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a cheeseburger today”
Time to pay up, Wimpy!
Let me tell you a little something about Terry Sullivan. He’s a terrible manager and boss. He’s created and maintains a hostile work environment. He publicly humiliates and degrades productive workers while ignoring those underlings who screw up business dealings. The left hand of the CSCVB rarely knows what the right hand is doing, resulting in wasted or duplicated efforts., p.o.ed members, and made the CSCVB a local laughing stock.
He abuses his expense account. Once he commercially leased a projector for a three-slide presentation and ended up costing the city over $1,000 for the two minute usage. Last I knew, he had unlimited use a luxury car provided for by the city, complete with a taxpayer funded gasoline credit card.
CSCVB employees have been known to become so fed-up with his nonsense and bullying they’ve quit en masse.
In short, Sullivan creates more problems than he solves, and really has no business being in charge of others.
westcoast, do you have any documentation to prove your allegations?
Let me be clear: I didn’t mean to imply Sullivan misuses his Bureau expense account for personal reasons. I have no knowledge of that.
But I know for a fact he uses it for wasteful and unnecessary business purposes. He is not frugal with taxpayer money.