6-10-26 – Room Tax FULL PACKET

Please note that, upon reasonable notice, at least 24 hours in advance, efforts will be made to accommodate the needs of disabled individuals through appropriate aids and services. For additional information to request this service, please contact the City Clerk's Office at 715-479-8682 ext. 222, 525 E. Maple Street, P.O. Box 1269, Eagle River WI 54521 EAGLE RIVER AREA ROOM TAX COMMISSION AGENDA NOTICE (6/1/26) A MEETING OF THE EAGLE RIVER AREA ROOM TAX COMMISSION WILL BE HELD WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2026 AT 9:30 am AT THE EAGLE RIVER CITY HALL, 525 E. MAPLE STREET IN EAGLE RIVER 1. Call to order. 2. Roll call 3. Approval of March and April 2026 meeting minutes 4. Discussion and possible action on the following agenda items a. Review and Approval of Grant Program Funding • Eagle River Historical Society, $30,000 for support of new Heritage Center project b. Request for a complete outside audit of all Eagle River Chamber financials c. Treasurer’s Report d. Review and approval of bills for March through May 2026 5. Adjourn S ubmitted by: Robin Ginner, City Administrator Room Tax Commission March 11, 2026 Meeting Minutes 1) C all to order at 9:30 am 2) R oll call – Sue Saxhaug, Ron Van Dusen, Crystal Loppnow, Robin Ginner, Brianna Agree, and Kim Emerson. 3) C larification on minutes – Ron Van Dusen and Sue Saxhaug went to the Chamber to review and approve the vouchers. The original motion was to review/approve June t hrough November, but while there they also reviewed/approved December, which was not part of the motion. Motion/Second, Saxhaug/Loppnow, to approve the meeting minutes from the December 2025 Room Tax Commission meeting as presented with the following correcting motion (see 3.i below). Motion carried. i) Motion/second, Loppnow/Van Dusen, to authorize, ex post facto, for Ron and Sue to review the December vouchers and approve payment. Motion approved. 4) D iscussion and possible action on the following agenda items a) Brianna introduced herself as the new manager of Wild Eagle Lodge and expressed her excitement to be involved in the commission. Motion/Second, Ginner/Loppnow, to appoint Brianna Agree as Member-At-Large to the Room Tax Commission. b) Treasurer’s Report, presented by Sue Saxhaug. General account balance at the beginning of December was $633,456.46; Grant account balance $25,177.79, for a total of $658,634.25. Receipts in the amount of $ 110,209.09 were received from the three municipalities, including an additional payment by PriceLine in the amount of $13,826.09 after they audited their records. Ripco Credit Union dividends in the amount of $168.31 were deposited to the account. Disbursements were made in the amount of $421,395.62, plus a $5 cashier’s check fee from R ipco, for June through December vouchers. Per a motion made at the December meeting $75,000 was transferred to fund the 2026 grant program . Sue noted that since the grant program began, we have awarded $298,125 in funding to local organizations. Account balances as of February 28, 2026 in the general account is $247,416.99; grant account balance is $100,194.04, for a total of $ 347,611.03 u nder Room Tax Commission control. Motion/Second, Loppnow/Ginner, to accept the March Treasurer’s report. Motion carried. c) Motion/Second, Loppnow/VanDusen to approve and sign the vouchers for January in the amount of $31,813.81 and Feb $14,774.19 , and issue payment to the Chamber. Motion carried. 5) Motion/Second, Robin/Sue, to adjourn at 9:43 am. Motion carried. N ext meeting, a special session to review Grant Application Recommendations, is scheduled for April 8, 2026 at 9:30 am. Room Tax Commission April 15, 2026 Meeting Minutes 1. C all to order at 9:31 am 2. Roll call – Sue Saxhaug, Ron Van Dusen, Vic Washelesky, Crystal Loppnow, Robin Ginner, and Peter Anderson. 3. Review and Approval of Grant Program Funding Applications i) Eagle River Fire Dept, $24,600 was initially requested for the Eagle River Ice Castle, but an amended request was submitted for $38,283. Ron Van Dusen felt it was a good grant request because it attracts a lot of people to the area. Crystal Loppnow confirmed from a hotel perspective this is an enormous draw for out- of-town visitors. In their amended application, they removed maintenance, which the commission doesn’t fund, but added additional equipment for replacement. The Commission approved funding the application at the original ask of $24,600. ii) Eagle River Revitalization Program, $50,000 Highway 45 (Railroad St) Bike/Ped crossing at Spruce Street (Riverview Park). This is a critical piece of the River Trail construction, and will also help with the farmers market. Cycling brings in over 100,000 cyclists and the $26m in revenue to Vilas County. Peter Anderson, from the Chamber’s Ad/Promo Committee, mentioned that it wasn’t funded in the past because it was first dollar. Now this is the balance needed to see the project forward. The Commission approved funding the application at the full $50,000. iii) SnoEagles, $12,500 for the purchase of two (2) Verkaba Outdoor Remote Live Feed Cameras. The Commission didn’t feel this would directly contribute to putting additional heads in beds, so they did not approve awarding the sum requested. iv) United Lower Eagle River Chain of Lakes Commission , $24,000 for Eurasian Water Milfoil hand harvesting . The grant application would allow the lake commission to increase efforts by an additional 12 days of hand harvesting. This is for the long-term health of the chain and if the lakes are filled with milfoil, the boaters won’t come. They are trying not to use chemicals and haven’t done so since 2014 . Crystal Loppnow argued that this should not fall on the shoulders of hotels to pay for the milfoil. Sue Saxhaug noted that the hand harvesting gets to the plant roots and is more effective at stopping spread of the AIS. Ron feels it should not be funded, but others feel perhaps it should be partially funded . The Commission approved funding the application at $5,000. v) Vilas County Economic Development Corporation , $10,000 for Riverside Park Development. The Commission felt the ask was premature as the committee to review the park has not yet been formed. The commission did not vote to grant the sum requested. vi) Warehouse Arts Center , $7,729.22 for courtyard improvements . The Commission didn’t feel this would directly contribute to putting additional heads in beds, so they did not vote to grant the sum requested. Motion/Second, Van Dusen/Loppnow , to fund grant applications as follows: E R Fire Department at their original ask of $24,600; ER Revitalization Program at $50,000, and Unified Lower Eagle River Chain of Lakes Commission at $5,000. Motion Carried. T he grant request for the ER Historical Society will be discussed at the June meeting. 4. A djourn i) Motion/Second, Robin/Crystal, to adjourn at 10:29 am. Motion carried. N ext meeting is scheduled for June 10, 2026 at 9:30 am.