Call to Order and Roll Call
The 1st meeting of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Economic Development and Tourism, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue was held on Thursday, June 23, 2016, at<MeetTime> 10:00 AM, in Room 129 of the Capitol Annex. Representative Jeffery Donohue, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Chris Girdler, Co-Chair; Representative Jeffery Donohue, Co-Chair; Senator Perry B. Clark; Representatives Terry Mills, Ruth Ann Palumbo, Dean Schamore, John Short, and Susan Westrom.
Guests: Donnie Holland, Commissioner, Department of Parks, Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet (TAHC); Rob Richards, Director, Financial Operations, Department of Parks, TAHC; and Phillip Brown, Chief of Staff and Legislative Liaison, TAHC.
LRC Staff: Joe Lancaster, Stephanie Rich, Greg Troutman, and Benjamin Thompson.
Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet- Department of Parks
Commissioner Donnie Holland presented an update on the budget for the Department of Parks.
In response to a question from Chair Donohue, Commissioner Holland noted that there is currently a splash park in the E.P. Sawyer State Park in Louisville.
In response to a question from Representative Westrom, Commissioner Holland stated that the Department of Parks would consider possible partnerships with Workforce Investment Boards statewide to help provide job training while reducing departmental costs.
In response to a question from Representative Palumbo, Mr. Richards confirmed that the Department of Parks pays a small fee of ten to fifteen percent to travel websites, such as Travelocity and Expedia, for any rooms rented through their sites.
In response to questions from Chair Donohue, Commissioner Holland confirmed that Kentucky has the most state resort parks (17 parks) in the country. Commissioner Holland stated that the average number of resort parks per state is 4. Commissioner Holland stated that the Department of Parks has $1.3 million set aside for campground improvements.
In response to a question from Representative Mills, Commissioner Holland noted that the Department of Parks sponsors frequent radio advertisements in certain regions and employs a social media team that advertises through social media networks.
In response to questions from Sen. Girdler, Commissioner Holland noted that while increased bond resources have been discussed for increasing the Department of Parks’ maintenance pool, no further legislative action occurred. Commissioner Holland noted that he had not been involved in any tax reform conversations.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11: 05 AM.