Vote on Explore Altoona nearing

Blair County prepares to distribute letters to municipalities on decertification

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Blair County is expected, before the end of the month, to follow through with distributing letters to municipalities asking governing bodies for a vote on the proposed decertification of Explore Altoona as the county's tourist promotion agency.

Representatives for Explore Altoona, the county's current TPA, and Blair County Alliance for Business and Economic Growth, the potential successor, met last week.

But commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling said Tuesday that he heard of no cooperation as the commissioners hoped.

"I was told after that meeting that Explore Altoona has no desire to change anything they're currently doing," Kessling said at the weekly commissioners meeting.

He also added: "I'm sorry to hear they're taking this stance."

On Sept. 17, Kessling and fellow Commissioner Amy Webster voted in favor of what they recognized as a first step toward decertifying Explore Altoona as the county's TPA.

While Explore Altoona has a long history of filling that role, Kessling and Webster have spoken in favor of reassigning the responsibility to Blair County Alliance, which was formed through the recent merger of Altoona Blair County Development Corp. and the Blair County Chamber of Commerce.

By making the change, commissioners believe they can divert the county's bed tax revenue -- currently about $800,000 annually for Explore Altoona -- toward development of recreational trails and other assets and promotions to bring in tourists.

Explore Altoona supporters, however, have challenged the proposals. One of their objections is that the local hotels and lodging facilities -- whose patrons pay the county's bed tax -- will lose patrons and revenue without Explore Altoona's widespread marketing efforts that are currently bringing in visitors.

As outlined in Pennsylvania's Act 18 of 2016 -- which allowed counties to levy and collect as much as a 5% tax on those who stay at local lodging facilities -- counties must designate a TPA and provide funding to promote tourism.

If a county wants to decertify a TPA, it must do so by its own resolution and with resolutions by municipal governing bodies that reflect an aggregate of more than 65% of the county's total population.

Commissioners have acknowledged that their Sept. 17 vote was meant to be an initial step in the decertification process and not a decertification vote to meet Act 18.

Commissioners also acknowledged at the Sept. 17 meeting that the governing bodies in the county's 24 municipalities -- which includes the City of Altoona, 15 townships and eight boroughs -- need to be contacted and provided with a resolution to consider.

Thereafter, if the county has sufficient support from the municipalities, then under Act 18, commissioners are required to convene a public hearing on the subject and vote within seven days of that hearing.

Kessling said Tuesday that commissioners continue to work on an explanatory letter to send to municipalities.

"We have the resolution," Kessling said. "We just need to finish the letter."

While Kessling offered no specific date for distribution, he said he believed it will be done this month.

Chief Clerk Sherry Socie, who was designated at the Sept. 17 meeting to distribute draft resolutions and poll municipalities for concurrence with the county's decertification plan, said after Tuesday's meeting that she can handle the distribution prior to her resignation becoming effective at the end of October.

Socie, who has been chief clerk for less than two months -- said Tuesday that all three commissioners -- Kessling, Webster and fellow Commissioner Laura Burke -- have been excellent to work with.

She said her decision to resign is "just a work-life balance on my side."

Kessling also praised Socie for staying on the job through the end of October and described her as a blessing for the commissioners.

"She understands how busy our office is," Kessling said.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.