“There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.” – Ronald Reagan
Nearly three and a half years after Hamilton County Commissioner Tim Boyd first suggested it, the Chattanooga Tourism Co. has awarded its first 26 arts and cultural grants to local artists and programs.
In 2018, the District 8 commissioner suggested the then-Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau use a quarter of its expected $8.2 million in funding for capital and community projects and “be transparent and accountable for every dollar.” He opined that such spending would be in keeping with what state legislators had in mind when they allowed local 4% hotel/motel taxes to be used for the tourism bureau.
Boyd had castigated the agency the previous year for what he said was its extravagant spending, lack of transparency and poor management, and a Tennessee Comptroller’s Office investigation documented some of his concerns.
Since then, the group implemented some reforms, hired a new president and changed its name.