The North Carolina General Assembly this past year passed House Bill 1057, paving the way for the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners to create a Travel and Tourism Development Authority Board responsible for managing the proceeds of the area’s occupancy tax.
Occupancy tax is generated when individuals visit the area and stay in short-term rentals in Mitchell County like Airbnb, hotels and vacation rentals.
Over the course of the past five months, the members of the TDA Board have held public meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month to learn the General Statutes they must adhere to, set up bylaws and discuss marketing ideas to promote the county.
The board’s top three immediate goals are to create an online presence, develop a county-wide map and compile a list of all the short-term rentals in the county.
The new website will be a central location for access to important information about promoting
Local tourism. The map will display activities and tourism-related information.
The members of the TDA Board were appointed by the commissioners in a regular meeting last October.
Board members include one county commissioner, individuals involved with tourism, and individuals who pay occupancy tax.
The board consists of Whitney Ledford, Misty Self, Joe Glenn, Matt Ward, Sharon Rowland, Libby Phillips and Harley Masters.
The TDA still has one vacancy which will be filled by the commissioners in a regular meeting next month.
TDA meetings are open to the public and the meeting schedule is sent to the local media and can also be found posted inside the County Administration Building in Bakersville and on the TDA website when it is complete.
To be added to the TDA’s email list to receive future information, email mitchellcountytda@gmail.com.