Arnold Tourism Commission Puts New Funding Process Into Practice
When an organization comes before the Arnold Tourism Commission asking for help funding an event, commissioners are increasingly asking a basic question: Will this bring people to Arnold?
That question was at the center of the commission’s September meeting, where a new funding process began taking shape after city officials and commissioners spent much of August reviewing how Arnold distributes money intended to promote tourism.
The changes are largely procedural. Applicants are being asked for clearer budgets and cost breakdowns, receipts will be required to document how public money was actually spent, and organizations are expected to appear before the commission prepared to explain their event and its tourism impact. The city is also encouraging recipients to use Arnold businesses when practical.
The result was a September meeting that offered residents a clearer look at what a tourism commission does and what commissioners consider when deciding whether an event merits public support.
What is the Arnold Tourism Commission?
Arnold’s Tourism Commission was created in 2003 with the stated purpose of promoting the general welfare of the community and stimulating tourism in the city. The commission consists of five appointed members. Arnold’s ordinance describes the intended makeup of the board as including representation from the hotel and motel industry, the tourism industry, and the business community.
The five members of the Arnold Tourism Commission are Chairman Drew Sofia, Joe Maddock, Justin Price, Judy Smith, and Ken “Wally” Lionberger. Terri Starwalt works with the commission on behalf of the city, assisting with applications and related paperwork. There are also City Council members assigned to the Tourism committee, including Ward 1 Councilmen EJ Fleischmann and Troy Blacksher.
The commission administers money that is restricted for tourism purposes. During the September meeting, commissioners described the source as Arnold’s hotel and motel, or “bed,” tax. City ordinances require lodging establishments to report and pay a transient guest tax to the city each month, while the tourism ordinance requires tourism tax revenue to be placed into a special fund and used solely to promote tourism.
That distinction is important. The commission is not distributing money from a general charitable fund. Its job is to determine whether spending those dollars helps attract people to Arnold and promotes activity within the city.
That does not necessarily mean a visitor has to spend the night in a hotel.
During the September meeting, commissioners considered whether events bring people from outside Arnold into local restaurants, stores, parks, entertainment venues, and other businesses. Hotel stays remain an especially valuable indicator because lodging generates the tax supporting the tourism fund, but commissioners also discussed day visitors who eat, shop, attend events, and become more familiar with Arnold.
Why the process changed
During the August discussion, it was acknowledged that members of the Tourism Commission had already been asking questions about the process and it was believed they had been receiving poor advice. Arnold’s existing ordinance provided the commission with little guidance about how the board itself should operate.
That distinction matters because the Tourism Commission is responsible for making decisions involving public money, but commissioners have largely had to rely on the policies, legal guidance, and administrative procedures provided to them by the city.
As city officials reviewed the tourism account during the budget process, it was decided that clearer documentation was needed to show where tourism dollars ultimately went. It was emphasized that no one was alleging fraud or abuse by organizations that had received funding. Instead, the concern was whether the city could adequately document those expenditures if they were later reviewed.
City staff began developing revised applications and procedures, including preliminary budgets, receipts after expenditures, clearer agreements, and additional documentation.
For the Tourism Commission, some of the changes provide something commissioners had been seeking: a clearer framework for evaluating requests and documenting how tourism money is spent.
Just as importantly, commissioners made clear during the September meeting that the additional requirements are not intended to discourage organizations from applying.
The message was not that Arnold wants fewer organizations seeking tourism support. It was that applicants should have clearer expectations going into the process, while commissioners should have clearer standards for deciding how public tourism dollars are used.
Applicants would submit a preliminary budget explaining expected costs. The commission could then determine an award based on that information. Afterward, recipients would provide receipts or other documentation supporting the expenses before final reimbursement.
Staff also discussed updated hold harmless agreements and other paperwork designed to protect the city when public money is helping support an event.
Not every idea discussed in August became a new rule. Officials considered questions such as whether different types of organizations should face different funding limits and whether Arnold should eventually alter its existing funding cap. The city’s current ordinance still limits an applicant to $20,000 from the Tourism Commission during a city fiscal year.
At the same time, the city’s FY2027 budget anticipates a $70,000 transfer from the Tourism Fund to the General Fund. During the August discussion, it was stated that the transfer was being shown in the budget with the assumption that the Tourism Commission would approve it.
This opens a broader concern: how tourism funds may be used to support city expenses while still remaining tied to the purpose for which the tourism tax was collected.
That question was already beginning to surface in September. The City of Arnold brought an Arnold Days funding request before the Tourism Commission requesting $20,000.
When the city requested tourism funding connected to Arnold Days, commissioners generally agreed that the event brings substantial tourism to Arnold, but several were unwilling to approve the request until they received clearer legal guidance about how tourism money could be moved into or used by another city fund.
The commission ultimately tabled the request pending that clarification.
That decision may have provided one of the clearest examples of the new approach.
Even when commissioners believed an event unquestionably promotes Arnold, they wanted the documentation and legal process settled before approving the expenditure.
The discussion also reinforced another part of the commission’s developing approach: the City of Arnold itself would not simply bypass the process because it was the city asking for the money. During the discussion, Mayor Bill Moritz noted that the city was “no different than anybody else” when it came to the timing and approval process.
In practice, that means the city may seek tourism funding for events that bring visitors to Arnold, but commissioners are still expected to evaluate those requests, ask questions, require documentation, and determine whether the expenditure fits the purpose of the Tourism Fund.
What the new process looked like in September
The September meeting also provided the first broad test of the approach.
Because the regular August Tourism Commission meeting had been canceled while the city worked through the new process, the September agenda included a backlog of requests, including some connected to events that had already occurred. Commissioners agreed those applicants should still receive consideration rather than lose their opportunity because the commission had not met.
From there, the questions became noticeably specific.
How many people attend?
How many come from outside Arnold?
Will they stay in Arnold hotels?
Will they eat at Arnold restaurants?
What does the event actually cost?
How much is the applicant requesting compared with that cost?
Can Arnold businesses provide the goods or services being purchased?
Those questions could be seen during the Gateway Food Pantry’s request for Taste of Arnold. Organizers told commissioners they hope to expand the event from roughly 250 attendees to as many as 500 and estimated that at least half would come from outside Arnold. The commission ultimately approved $7,500 for the event. The pantry’s Doorstep Drive also received funding of $3,000 with an agreement that Arnold business coupon sheets would also be included in the bags distributed outside the city.
Commissioners noted that the arrangement provided a tangible tourism benefit by putting Arnold promotions directly into thousands of households beyond the city limits.
That discussion illustrated another part of the changing approach. Funding does not necessarily have to cover the full amount requested.
Commissioners and staff repeatedly described tourism money as a way to supplement, not fully fund, an event. Officials said that part of the process will continue to evolve as the commission collects better information about actual event expenses and results.
Attendance, spending, and measurable impact
Other requests demonstrated the types of activity commissioners appear increasingly interested in measuring.
A representative of Music on the Meramec, Fox High School’s marching band competition, told the commission the event is expected to bring 19 schools, more than 2,000 participating students, and approximately 5,000 people overall to Arnold. Commissioners ultimately approved $12,500, to partially fund the event.
The commission also approved $7,000 for an upcoming country tribute show at Rickman Auditorium after the promoter provided detailed information about past ticket sales, advertising, expenses, and where ticket buyers were coming from.
The commission also approved $7,000 for Jeffco Country Nights, an event that had already taken place after the August meeting was canceled, and approved $10,000 for the Rotary Club’s car show planned for May of 2027.
Not every request moved forward.
Commissioners declined to make a motion on a separate October live music request after raising concerns about creating a precedent in which restaurant owners could seek tourism funding for entertainment held at their own businesses. Commissioners emphasized that the concern was not with the particular event, but with how the same standard would have to be applied to other businesses in the future.
Several tourism supported events are ahead
Residents will have several opportunities in the coming weeks to see the kinds of events commissioners were discussing.
Arnold Days runs Sept. 18 through Sept. 20 at Arnold City Park, bringing together entertainment, vendors, activities, and other community events. The city describes it as its annual celebration of Arnold.
Music on the Meramec will follow on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Fox High School. The 13th annual marching competition is scheduled to bring bands from around Missouri and the region to Arnold.
The Legendary Superstars of Country: Toby Keith and Willie Nelson Tribute is scheduled for Oct. 10 at Rickman Auditorium, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the show beginning at 7 p.m.
The Arnold Chamber of Commerce Trunk or Treat and Food Drive is scheduled for Oct. 23. At the September meeting, organizers told commissioners the event has historically attracted an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people, including families traveling into Arnold from surrounding communities. The Tourism Commission approved support for the event.
Together, those events also help explain why determining “tourism” is not always as simple as counting hotel rooms.
A marching competition may fill restaurants. A concert may bring ticket holders from two hours away. A community festival may introduce thousands of families to Arnold businesses. An advertising campaign may reach households outside the city and encourage them to attend another event.
The commission’s job is to weigh those different benefits against the amount of public money being requested.
The process is still developing, and commissioners acknowledged in September that additional changes are likely as the city gains more experience with the new paperwork and begins collecting better data from funded events.
But the direction is clearer: applicants should expect to show what their event costs, document how tourism dollars are spent, and explain how their event helps bring people and economic activity into Arnold.