Jackson – Amador Council of Tourism (ACT) Director Maureen Funk announced on Sunday her organization’s activities after receiving $25,000 in funding from the Amador County Board of Supervisors last Tuesday. During a lengthy and somewhat contentious debate, ACT was awarded the lions share of the $28,109 initially alotted for funding and county promotion in the current fiscal year budget, $20,000 of which was strictly relative to ACT and its competitor, the Amador County Visitor’s Bureau (ACVB). ACT was awarded the full amount, including an additional $5000 from the contingency fund. Another $10,000 was given to ACVB. Amador County, which depends on tourism for much of its revenue stream, has traditionally invested liberally in methods of promotion. In past years, the two organizations had split a funding budget of up to $47,000, but the economic depression combined with the closure of major business sponsors like Prospect Motors has strained funding limits. At that Board meeting, ACVB Executive Director Jacqueline Lucido said “over 86 percent of business in this county is affected one way or another by tourism.” Funk said over 60 percent of her organization’s budget is used to promote tourism. In a release Sunday, Funk thanked the supervisors and supporters, saying “the funding will go a long way toward promoting Amador as a destination.” She outlined presentations she saw at the latest ACT meeting, including a discussion about the possible closure of Chaw’se Grinding Rock State Park as a way to help alleviate the state budget crisis. Funk told TSPN the “funding given to us is vital to ACT and our effectiveness when promoting the benefits of Amador County.” She quoted a letter from Steve Hammond, CEO of Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, regarding the economic situation and a course of action for tourism promoting agencies. Hammond said “while there is no 'silver bullet' solution to the drastic decline in the American and global economies, we can pull together and act collectively to communicate the priority and value of travel and meetings in Sacramento and its benefit to associations, businesses and individuals.” ACT holds multiple meetings each month. Their next meeting is October 8th at 5:30 pm at the Holiday Inn Express in Sutter Creek. Call 245-4503 for more information. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.