Board Meeting Minutes and Recording - December 2025
December 18, 2025
The audio recording and Board packet documents from the December 2025 CACVB Board meeting can be accessed here:
Resolution to Approve New CACVB Bylaws
CACVB Board Presentation - December 2025
Please find the draft meeting minutes below:
CACVB BOARD MEETING
December 15, 2025 – 1:00 p.m.
CACVB Administrative Offices
PRESENT: Francois Abadie, Olivia Branch, Andrea Copeland, Athena Eastwood, Chris Engel, Emily Kilroy, Bea LaPisto-Kirtley, Jaruchan Palakawongs, Danny Shea, Amber Smith, Brad Juandiego Wade, Darcie Weigand
ABSENT: Russ Cronberg, Jennifer Lyon
ALSO PRESENT: Greer Achenbach, Lauren Bohdan, Andy Bowman, Courtney Cacatian, Roy Van Doorn
CALL TO ORDER: Chair LaPisto-Kirtley called the meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. Lauren Bohdan performed the roll call.
INDUSTRY PRESENTATION: Chair LaPisto-Kirtley invited Greer Achenbach, Executive Director of Friends of Charlottesville Downtown, to update the Board on her organization’s efforts to promote downtown Charlottesville amid the 50th anniversary of the Downtown Mall. Friends of Charlottesville Downtown is working on a variety of initiatives aimed at local and national audiences. The Meet Me Downtown campaign aims to reclaim the narrative surrounding Charlottesville’s downtown and connect locals with the heart of the city. The organization runs a variety of media projects, including a podcast, placement of stories in national publications, collaboration with local media outlets, and social media marketing in support of downtown businesses. Friends of Downtown also supports downtown business through comprehensive branding, public art, murals, security assistance, and the Downtown Express train.
The Board discussed the Downtown Mall. Mr. Wade highlighted how the City of Charlottesville is working on public safety issues and the unhoused population on the Mall. Mr. Engel discussed the vacancy rate on the Mall - which, at 5 percent, is relatively low compared to similar areas - and how the City’s Office of Economic Development works to connect businesses to property owners. Mr. Abadie asked if there was any information available on the progress of the Landmark Hotel construction. Mr. Wade informed the Board that there was interest from buyers in early 2025, and there is expected to be increased activity when the building is re-marketed in 2026. Ms. Eastwood suggested that Friends of Charlottesville Downtown initiate discussions with local wineries about how they might support the celebration of the Downtown Mall’s 50th anniversary.
CONSENT AGENDA
Approval of previous minutes
Financial statement
Mr. Engel moved to approve the consent agenda, which was seconded by Mr. Wade. The Board voted unanimously to approve.
DISCUSSION: Proposed CACVB Bylaws. The proposal to approve the new CACVB Bylaws - which was discussed during the October 27, 2025, meeting of the CACVB Board - was moved from the consent agenda to allow for a roll call vote. Mr. Wade moved to adopt the new Bylaws, which was seconded by Ms. Kilroy. The Board voted unanimously to approve.
DISCUSSION: Proposed resolution to request that Virginia Tourism Corporation recognize GO Virginia Region 9 as a Tourism Region. The Board asked Courtney Cacatian, CACVB Executive Director, about the effect of the proposed Tourism Region. Ms. Cacatian emphasized that, although it would not open any new funding from Virginia Tourism Corporation, having a distinct profile from the Richmond region would allow VTC to study and plan for the region in a way that distinguishes local tourism needs and priorities that are distinct from Richmond’s. Ms. Kilroy moved to approve the resolution, Mr. Wade seconded. The resolution was approved unanimously.
PRESENTATION: Andy Bowman, Assistant Chief Financial Officer of Albemarle County. Albemarle County is the fiscal agent to the CACVB. Mr. Bowman discussed the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), the ways in which the County used the funds generated by the TOT, and he solicited feedback from Board members. The Code of Virginia requires that the County consult with the local travel industry, and Mr. Bowman’s presentation is part of this engagement effort.
The rules governing the use of the TOT are established in the Code of Virginia and apply differently to the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Both the City and the County have the same TOT rate (9 percent). The City’s use of TOT is unrestricted, but the County is obligated by state code to spend one third of TOT revenues on promoting and enhancing tourism to the locality. Currently, the County allocates 17 percent of the revenues raised by the TOT to the CACVB, 16 percent to the County Parks and Recreation Department, and 0.4 percent to support arts and cultural events. The amount of funding the County allocates to CACVB is determined by an agreement with the City of Charlottesville: the CACVB is allocated 30 percent of the first 5 percent of the TOT. In practice, this means that the County and the City can adjust their TOT rates without impacting the funding rate of the CACVB. Any changes to the third amended operating agreement governing CACVB funding would need to be approved by both the City of Charlottesville Council and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. In fiscal years 2023 and 2024, the CACVB received federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This increase in CACVB funding corresponded with a marked increase in local TOT revenue. Mr. Bowman asked the CACVB Board what they believed the highest and best use of TOT funding should be. Mr. Abadie asked why the CACVB received 17 percent of TOT revenue when, under the provision of the Code of Virginia restricting the use of TOT to tourism promotion and enhancement, the CACVB is arguably entitled to 33 percent: “Right now, what’s shocking is that it’s nearly cut in half.” He also pointed out the fact that rises in the overall TOT rate in recent years have not resulted in increased revenues for the CACVB, and questioned whether the funding allocated to County Parks and Recreation was adequately helping the hospitality industry.
Mr. Bowman stated that the precise funding amount for CACVB is determined by the City-County agreement. The logic behind the most recent increase in the TOT by the County was part of an effort to provide increased services while diversifying the local tax base. The unrestricted portion of the TOT is used for public safety, schools, and capital projects.
Mr. Engel pointed out that the County could voluntarily increase the proportion of the TOT it allocates to the CACVB, and that some localities dedicate a much higher portion of TOT to their destination marketing organizations (for example, Asheville, North Carolina, dedicates the entirety of its TOT to tourism promotion). Mr. Bowman asked that the Board provide his office with more information on how comparable localities use their TOT revenues.
Ms. Weigand argued that using the restricted portion of the TOT for Parks and Recreation funding was not in alignment with the tourism enhancement requirement: “I spent twenty-odd years of my career in County and City Parks and Recreation, so I understand the struggles they have. . . I get stuck on the restricted piece, and why that would be allowed to be shared elsewhere.” Although the stated purpose of the use of TOT funds is for “beautification,” Ms. Weigand pointed out that, in practice, this means staffing and regular maintenance, which would be more appropriately funded from other sources. “If you’re looking for a “hurrah, let’s move forward,” it can’t come from me. You have got to find better sources of funding for Parks and Rec than to take a cut out of this chunk of change to fund them.” Mr. Shea asked whether the CACVB coordinated with County Parks and Recreation, to which Ms. Cacatian replied that there is limited coordination.
Mr. Bowman informed the Board that, although the County does not have detailed data on visitors to County Parks, anecdotal information from special events shows that many people from outside the county visit the parks. Board members suggested ways of getting more information on visitation to County parks: Ms. Palakawongs disclosed that local biking organizations – who are raising money for Biscuit Run Park – are working on ways to capture visitor counts for parks, while Ms. Branch suggested that Keswick could include questions about local parks to the surveys they do of guests.
Mr. Bowman asked whether the Board had any input or questions regarding the portion of TOT that goes towards funding arts and cultural events and organizations (0.4 percent). Mr. Abadie stated that the CACVB is better positioned to market these events than the organizations themselves. The Board asked Mr. Bowman for more information on the decrease in funding for the CACVB from fiscal year 2026 to 2027. The County TOT rate was increased from 8 to 9 percent in fiscal year 2025, but the overall visitation revenue that the TOT was levied upon decreased during that year, resulting in a larger TOT amount collected, but a smaller amount dedicated to CACVB (CACVB’s funding is determined by the visitation revenue from two years prior to the fiscal year). Mr. Wade said that the formula determining the CACVB’s funding is too complex and expressed hope that the City and the County would be able to collaborate to simplify the agreement governing CACVB funding. Mr. Engel expressed support for this idea. Mr. Uhl asked whether it is possible to calculate the impact of the CACVB’s marketing on visitor spending in the hospitality industry. Ms. Cacatian estimated that every dollar put towards advertising by the CACVB brings approximately seven dollars to the local economy.
Mr. Shea expressed concern that visits appeared to be decreasing. Mr. Abadie agreed, stating that a number of new hotels have opened in the region and room nights have increased. Ms. Cacatian said that the changes were partly due to changes in the national economy, but that the downturn in visits corresponded with a significant drop in spending by the CACVB caused by the end of ARPA funding. ARPA funding had allowed the CACVB to advertise in media markets containing more likely travelers (such as New York City), and the reduction in funds restricted CACVB advertising to regional campaigns in fiscal year 2025.
Mr. Bowman will provide a memo explaining the County’s use of TOT in more detail to be distributed to Board members.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT: Carla Mullen, CACVB Destination Development Manager, informed the Board about CACVB’s work leading local participation in VA250, the statewide commission commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. CACVB has been leading civic engagement with the 250th celebrations, while using VA250 to raise awareness of the local area through partnerships and funding opportunities. The Charlottesville-Albemarle 250th Commission has over 100 members from 25 different organizations, which CACVB helps to connect to the statewide commission. CACVB has received grant funding from the VA250 Commission and has helped with partner organizations’ applications. The CACVB has put out ten episodes of a podcast, Founding Footprints, which explores historical institutions and partners in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area.
CACVB encourages collaboration between the area’s historic institutions to maximize visits and public engagement in commemorative events. 2026 will not be the end of 250th commemorations – Monticello is planning years of events to commemorate key moments such as the founding of the U.S. government, the end of the Revolutionary War, and the signing of the Constitution.
Courtney Cacatian, CACVB Director, reminded the Bord that this is the final meeting of the Board as currently composed, with new members joining in February. Ms. Cacatian thanked Ms. Palakawongs and Ms. Smith for their service (Russ Cronberg, whose term also ends on January 1, 2026, was not present).
PUBLIC COMMENT: Roy Van Doorn, Partner at City Select, brought new brochures advertising Shenandoah National Park for the Board. The national park does not do advertising and is underutilized by visitors compared to other national parks in the Appalachian region. Mr. Van Doorn expressed hope that the brochures could raise visitor awareness of Shenandoah.
BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS: Ms. Branch informed the Board that the 21st December is the final open day of the Southern Living Ideas House. The House has had nearly 14,000 visitors. Chair LaPisto-Kirtley thanked the outgoing Board members for their service.
ADJOURNMENT: Chair LaPisto Kirtley adjourned the meeting at 2:51 p.m.