Durango City Council has approved bylaws for the Durango Tourism Commission that aim to strike a balance between the tourism industry’s interests and the interests of residents.
Councilors also approved changing the name of the Durango Tourism Commission to the Tourism Advisory Commission to reflect the commission’s advisory role. “Durango Tourism Commission” gave the false impression it was a regulatory agency rather than an advisory one, they said.
The bylaws describe the commission’s duties and powers, board members terms, qualifications for being a board member and other procedural matters common to any city board.
The bylaws also define conflicts of interest and how they should be dealt with.
Last year, an audit of Visit Durango, which was an independent nonprofit before the city absorbed it into its new tourism division, noted possible conflicts of interest among board members with ties to businesses within the tourism industry.
Auditors recommended then that Visit Durango revise its conflicts of interest and ethics policy.
Durango Prosperity Officer Mike French said tourism commissioners and the city discussed conflicts of interest “at length” with input from the city attorney’s office.
The bylaws identify “direct” and “indirect” conflicts of interest and describe what actions are to be taken in either scenario.
A direct conflict of interest “shall include any situation in which a Commissioner or their family member(s) could receive a monetary benefit, or hold full or partial ownership, in a business or property (including, but not limited to, through equity, stocks, bonds, etc.) involved,” according to the bylaws.
Additionally, any matter involving a member’s employer or an entity a member has any fiduciary, contractual, managerial or like relationship with is a direct conflict of interest.
A member is required to immediately disclose a direct conflict, recuse themselves from the agenda item and physically leave the meeting before discussion and voting, the bylaws said. They are also prohibited from influencing the discussion, decisions and other commissioners’ perspectives or decisions by any means.
Indirect conflicts of interest are less defined in the bylaws, but members are required to consult with the city attorney’s office or a staff liaison to the Tourism Advisory Commission when they believe such a conflict exists.
When an indirect conflict of interest is identified, a commissioner is required to disclose the conflict and may choose whether to abstain or recuse themselves from the matter.
“It’s a small community. Obviously, everybody has an interest in some way, shape or form,” French said. “I think what’s important if they recognize a direct conflict of interest, that they recuse themselves. On an indirect, that they explain what that indirect might be. But we’re going to wrestle with that consistently.”
He said that’s the nature of a tourism advisory board.
“We just have to be very careful about how we manage that,” he added.
The Tourism Advisory Commission has nine members, with each seat reserved in the bylaws for a particular type of representative.
Three seats are reserved for residents who have no affiliation with the tourism industry, with one seat requiring residency within the city of Durango and two seats requiring residency within the city or La Plata County.
One seat is designated for a student, faculty or staff member of Fort Lewis College.
Another seat is reserved for a member of the Durango Chamber of Commerce in order to have representation of the broader business community on the commission, French said.
One seat is for an employee or principal of a regional attraction or food and beverage establishment.
One seat is designated for Purgatory Resort and another for Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad – two major tourist attractions for Durango and La Plata County – and one seat is reserved for an employee or principal of another hotel, motel or lodge.
The current commissioners are as follows:
- Jeff Johnson, D&SNG.
- Rebeka Huehnel, clean transportation program director for 4CORE (Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency).
- Antonio Lecuna, FLC assistant professor of entrepreneurship.
- Denise Leslie, owner of Hideaway Marketing Agency.
- Ken Stone, Durango Hot Springs sales and marketing director.
- Tori Ossola, Strater Hotel general manager.
- Kim Oyler, Durango Chamber of Commerce chief operations manager.
- David Rathbun, Purgatory Resort general manager.
- Grant Wilson, Earth Law Center executive director.
Commissioners serve one- to three-year terms depending on which sector they are representing.
French said commissioners were selected to represent sustainable tourism marketing based on five criteria described in the bylaws as follows:
- Advise City Council how to “enhance and expand the city’s tourism industry.”
- Promote the city as a tourist destination via marketing campaigns, outreach and partnerships.
- Develop and recommend policies for sustainable growth of the tourism industry while weighing economic and environmental factors.
- Collaborate with local businesses and tourism agencies.
- Review the effectiveness of tourism programs and advise City Council how to improve them.
City Manager José Madrigal previously said tourism is a vital economic engine for Durango, but it must be balanced with economic development and housing.
The Tourism Advisory Commission was designed to host voices from the tourism industry as well as voices not involved with tourism to ensure that balance is struck.
Bringing Visit Durango into the city ensures the city can address tourism impacts and that residents have a voice in the tourism industry’s direction.
cburney@durangoherald.com
