81-3717.

County Visitors Promotion Fund; County Visitors Improvement Fund; visitors committee; establishment; purpose.

(1) The governing body of the county shall after a public hearing adopt a resolution establishing a County Visitors Promotion Fund and a visitors committee which shall serve as an advisory committee to the governing body in administering the proceeds from the taxes provided to the county by the Nebraska Visitors Development Act. The governing body of a county may also after a public hearing adopt a resolution establishing a County Visitors Improvement Fund. The proceeds of the County Visitors Promotion Fund shall be used generally to promote, encourage, and attract visitors to come to the county and use the travel and tourism facilities within the county. The proceeds of the County Visitors Improvement Fund shall be used to improve the visitor attractions and facilities in the county, except that no proceeds shall be used to improve a facility in which parimutuel wagering is conducted unless such facility also serves as the site of a state fair or district or county agricultural society fair. If the visitors committee determines that the visitor attractions in the county are adequate and do not require improvement, the governing body of the county, with the advice of the committee, may only use the County Visitors Improvement Fund to promote, encourage, and attract visitors to the county to use the county's travel and tourism facilities or, with the advice of the visitors committee, make grants to organizations to promote, encourage, and attract visitors to the county to use the county's travel and tourism facilities. The committee shall consist of five or seven members appointed by the governing body of the county. If the committee has five members, at least one but no more than two members of the committee shall be in the hotel industry. If the committee has seven members, at least two but no more than three members of the committee shall be in the hotel industry.

(2) The members of the committee shall serve without compensation, except for reimbursement for necessary expenses. Committee members shall serve for terms of four years, except that at least half of those appointed shall be appointed for initial terms of two years. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the initial appointments. The committee shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson from among its members to serve for terms of two years.