Visitor Council vacancy not filled

The Saratoga Town Council failed to appoint a member to the upcoming vacancy on the Carbon County Visitors' Council (CCVC) at the May 21 meeting.

Per the Carbon County website, the purpose of the board is to "to promote local travel and tourism within Carbon County and its municipalities and to receive and expend the revenues from the excise tax on lodging services."

Members of the council are appointed by several separate municipalities in Carbon County, as well as one appointment from the Board of County Commissioners. The Saratoga seat's term expires on June 30, when current member Danny Burau's term ends.

In the letter that informed the Town of the upcoming vacancy, Executive Director Leslie Jefferson told the council the CCVC would "appreciate an appointment by June 1st," as the term expires on the 30th. This deadline was not met during the May 21 town council meeting.

McCall Burau, co-owner of The Malt and County 6 Clothing Company, was the only person to submit a letter of interest to fill the vacancy on the CCVC. Burau also serves as the chairwoman of the Saratoga Planning Commission.

During the meeting, Burau read her letter before the council.

"With seven years of experience owning and managing a restaurant in Saratoga, I have gained valuable insights into the intersection of tourism and local business," she read.

"My top priority serving on the tourism board will be finding ways to improve the quality of life for our local citizens," Burau said. "A great community to live in will automatically make it a great community to visit."

After Burau finished reading her letter, Councilmember Kathy Beck made a motion to appoint her to the CCVC. The motion failed due to lack of a second.

This is not the first time in the county a municipality has failed to appoint someone to the visitors' council. In 2019, the City of Rawlins brought the appointment of Casey Shinkle to a vote, where it failed on a 4-3 decision.

For the Town of Saratoga, this is the second motion to appoint someone to a council in two meetings that has failed due to lack of a second. Previously, during the May 7 meeting, the motion to appoint Chia Valdez to the Town Council failed in the same way.

After the motion failed, Beck questioned the rest of the town council, asking "who we're looking for ... if there is a description of a candidate we're looking for."

Davis responded by referring to a portion of the letter Jefferson sent, reading "any applicant only needs to be a qualified elector of the county and should be employed, have a background, or interest in the travel and tourism industry. The applicant would need to live within Carbon County and have the best interests of Carbon County tourism and travel as their primary focus."

Davis said he would reach out to Jefferson to ask them for a possible extension on the deadline for appointment.

Beck then questioned the rest of the council as to why there was no second to the motion, as Burau was the only applicant.

"I'm looking for someone who has been in the valley for quite a while and more local, and bringing what Saratoga is to Saratoga, to Carbon County," Councilmember Jerry Fluty said.

The other council members did not respond to Beck's question.

Beck again pointed out that Burau was the only applicant. Davis said the only thing the council can do now is continue to advertise for the position.

Davis thanked Burau for her interest.

If the seat remains vacant, then the Town of Saratoga will not be represented on the CCVC. If the seat is not filled before June 30, then it will remain vacant until someone is appointed.

The next Saratoga Town Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. on June 4 at the Saratoga Town Hall.