GRANTS, N.M. – The City of Grants collected $89,268 in lodgers’ tax during the first quarter of the 2020-21 fiscal year. Reporting categories included the promotional fund, $62,487, non-promotional, $26,780, and administrative, $8,927. Carry-over funds from FY 2019-20 totaled $21,878.
Administrative expenses included $907 for the New Mexico Mining Museum elevator maintenance along with $7,787 that was paid for the museum’s telephone service and Santa Fe Avenue street lighting, The city can allocate 10 percent of the total collected for administrative fees, according to the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration.
Brenda Curtwright, who serves as part-time museum director and parttime Grants/Cibola County Chamber of Commerce director, reported that she has been carefully reviewing the chamber and museum budgets to ensure maximum efficiency in using available funding. She acknowledged that the museum has hired an associate full-time who can also assist Curtwright with chamber front desk duties.
She emphasized that the chamber’s duty is to promote area businesses and that includes attracting tourists. The organization is seeking area business owners to serve on the chamber board, according to the director who began her duties last month. Members of the lodgers’ tax board encouraged more diverse community representation on that board and “not so many ‘figure heads’ from area organizations.”
Jamie Holton, Grants Rodeo Association, clarified the invoice submitted by the association. She acknowledged that the GRA had spent $2,000 in fundraising activities; the $1,500 was the amount donated to the Denis Moleres Scholarship fund and was not part of the invoice submitted at the Oct. 15 LTB meeting.
Upcoming meeting
Thursday, Nov. 19, council chambers, 600 W. Santa Fe Ave., Grants, 9 a.m.
Visit cityofgrants.net or call 505-287-7927 for more information.