No TBID on IKON
Mammoth will support renewal of tax if season passes are exempt
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area’s insistence that the future of reliable regional air service lies in Bishop was made clear this week when MMSA’s Eric Clark said that the ski area would support the renewal of Mammoth’s Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) with the caveat that Ikon season pass sales not be subject to TBID. Ski school lessons and daily lift tickets will still be subject to TBID.
Mammoth Lakes Tourism’s Board of Directors voted unanimously on Tuesday, April 3 to approve that change to the Management District Plan, as well as to agree to pursue a renewal of the TBID only for another five years, not for another 10, as was the previous goal.
Clark had previously voiced Mammoth Mountain’s desire to pursue air service in Bishop and put forth the possibility that the resort might withhold its support for the TBID if monies could not be allocated to Bishop Airport’s attainment of Part 139 (commercial) certification (see “TBIDness Deals, February 10).
The TBID needs the support of 50.1 percent of assessed businesses for renewal, according to Mammoth Lakes Tourism Executive Director John Urdi.
With the support of Mammoth Mountain, Urdi said, the renewal of the TBID was currently at 57 percent participation.
The agenda bill and resolution for the TBID are due to the Town Clerk by Monday, April 9.
Legally, the TBID can only be used for the direct benefit of the communities that pay into it, said Urdi.
TBID paid by Mammoth Lakes businesses cannot be used for infrastructure at the Bishop Airport. However, it could be used for advertising in cities that service Bishop Airport (the dream is to have long-haul flights from Dallas and Chicago landing in Bishop) and also for, for instance, buses that bring passengers directly to Mammoth.
“So, you could put up a sign that says, ‘Mammoth This Way,’ and you could pay for a bus that goes to Mammoth, but you couldn’t build a terminal for people going to Mammoth,” said Board member Scott McGuire.
