city hall
City of Spring Hill

In a unanimous vote on Monday, Spring Hill city leaders voted to disband the city’s Tourism Council, while deferring a vote that would have seen the Economic Development Commission (EDC) disbanded as well to September.

The Tourism Council was a five-member board formed in June of 2018 designed to act as an advisory committee to the city Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA), specifically by advising the BOMA on topics regarding tourism and related properties. The council was also tasked with serving as a liaison between citizens and interested parties related to tourism matters.

Regarding the EDC, which Alderman Matt Fitterer had previously called a “slush fund” due to an alleged lack of “public transparency” as to “how tax dollars [were] being spend,” the BOMA voted 8 - 1 to defer the vote on its disbandment until next month, with Alderman Hazel Nieves being the only city leader to vote against the deferral.

The vote on disbanding the EDC had also been deferred in June and July, making this month’s deferment the third in a row. The proposal was originally made in May during the city’s budget discussions before ultimately being deferred before the budget passed.

The total expenditures for the EDC in this fiscal year’s budget were $110,329.

The next voting meeting of the Spring Hill BOMA will be held on Monday, September 21.