TOURISM CVB makes plans to set up Web site

The director said the Web site is crucial to promoting county attractions.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The new Mahoning County Convention & amp; Visitors Bureau has its board in place and hopes to have its Web site running before the end of the month.
Included on the board will be the three county commissioners -- Anthony Traficanti, David Ludt and John McNally IV -- and Jeff Kossow, executive director of the Youngstown Convocation Center.
Commissioners will formalize the board by resolution at their meeting Thursday.
Suzanne Heino, convention board executive director, met Tuesday with commissioners to go over the board's spending to date and to discuss the Web site.
Heino said the board has spent $9,500, mainly on supplies, postage, some of her travel and salary.
She said she would really like to get going with her marketing plan to promote the county and its attractions as spring has arrived.
To do that, however, it would help to have a Web site for the public and businesses to contact, she said.
Heino said the CVB has a verbal agreement with a Brookfield company to design the site.
Overall Web site
County Auditor George Tablack and Steve Stanec Jr., director of the county's information technology department, however, said they would like to incorporate the CVB site as part of the county's overall Web site.
Stanec said there are already 40 Web sites containing bits and pieces of information on various county agencies. "There is no single Web presence for the county," he said.
Tablack said the county's strategy is to develop a cohesive Web presence in the most cost-efficient way.
The CVB site has been delayed because the IT department has been handling requests from other county departments, Tablack said.
Tablack assured Heino the IT department is committed to enhancing the CVB's presence and effectiveness. "We will get it [Web site] done," he added.
Heino added that if additional money were needed, the board had funds available.
The CVB is funded from a portion of the county's 3 percent lodging tax on hotels and motels. It has a budget of $205,301 for this year.
Merger merit
In other business, Traficanti admitted a proposal by State Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd, to merge the CVBs from Mahoning and Trumbull counties under the Western Reserve Port Authority has merit. He said, however, until all litigation in both counties concerning their previous boards are settled, the chances of merging aren't realistic.
The Trumbull bureau plans to close March 31, and commissioners have channeled its 4 percent bed tax funds to the port authority's operation. The bureau's board is continuing its common pleas court fight to claim tax proceeds.
Mahoning still has not settled its suit with its old CVB board, which commissioners stopped funding in 2003.
The CVB also discussed bringing the Western Reserve Film Commission under its umbrella. Richard Ouzounian heads the commission.
Board member Bruce Paulette of Austintown said he would like to see Mahoning's bed tax increased to 4 percent, like Trumbull's, and use a portion to fund the film commission, which he said could also help promote the county by bringing film companies here.
Ludt said he didn't favor increasing the bed tax right now.
Heino said the film commission matter would be discussed in greater detail when the new board has its first meeting in a few weeks.