Tourism Council Establishes Term Limits for Council Members

By Alyssa Schnugg
Staff writer
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

The Oxford Tourism Council recently approved implementing term limits for its council members to help promote a continued flow of fresh ideas, while relying on experienced members when making decisions.

Council members, who are appointed by the Oxford Board of Aldermen, currently have no term limits but do have staggered terms.
On Tuesday, the Tourism Council approved adding language to its bylaws that would limit council members to two consecutive three-year terms. If a member is appointed to the board to fulfill a position left open by a board member who left before their term is up, that individual can serve the rest of the term of the person they are replacing and one, three-year term.
Council member Bryon Cohron said someone serving on the board who terms out can be appointed again after they haven’t served for three years.
The Tourism Council approved the bylaws with the new term limits.
The Oxford Tourism Council governs Visit Oxford, which promotes tourism in Oxford by marketing the city through advertising, promotions and giving grants to local events like the Oxford Film Festival and Southern Foodway Alliance that bring people to Oxford.
In April, hotel occupancy was at 66.7 percent, up 2.9 percent in Oxford from April 2017. Occupancy is calculated as a percentage of the rooms available in any given month. The average daily hotel rate was $130, up 2.3 percent from April 2017.
In April 2018 there were 32,310 nights available and 21,553 nights were booked. The hotel/motel tax brought in $46,600, up 6 percent from April 2017. The city’s 2 percent food and beverage tax brought in $301,314, up 7 percent from April 2017.