www.tourismdevelopmentalliance.org

Monday, November 3, 2008
Important Upcoming Events
The Hotel Motel Tax Performance Review Board meeting for 2008 is scheduled for November 6. Please contact Joy Walstrum if you would like to attend.

The Joint Economic Development & Tourism Committee will meet at Georgia State University on December 10, 2008 from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

Please mark Tuesday, January 27, 2009 on your calendars for Tourism Day at the Capitol 2009

TDAG's 2009 Annual Meeting is August 31 - September 2 at Lake Lanier. More details are forthcoming.

TDAG's 2010 Annual Meeting is August 30 - September 1 in Athens. More details are forthcoming.
Save the Date for Tourism Day!

Please mark Tuesday, January 27, 2009 on your calendars for Tourism Day at the Capitol 2009. You can now book your room at the Hilton Atlanta Airport, located at 1031 Virginia Avenue, for $109 exclusive of local taxes and fees, currently at 14%. Call 404-767-9000 and mention Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia to get this special rate. Please watch for details on how you can get involved with our Tourism Day activities.

Save the Date for our 2009 Annual Meeting!
Please mark August 31st - September 2nd on your calendars for TDAG's annual meeting. This year, the event will be held at Lake Lanier. We will send more event details soon.
The 2008 TDAG Annual Report is Here!
Please click on the following image to download your 2008 TDAG Annual Report. (Note: the report is a pdf, so please allow a moment to load. You will need Adobe Reader to view the document.)
2008 Constitutional Amendments
Georgia voters have a unique opportunity this Nov. 4 to help bring in thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in new investment to jumpstart our economy -- while at the same time protecting our environment and preserving our air and water quality for future generations.

Amendment 1: Forest Conservation
• Protects Georgia forests, which help keep our air and water clean, contribute $25 billion a year to our economy and offer unparalleled recreation (hunting, fishing, hiking, bird watching, etc.)
• This amendment provides property tax relief for owners of 200 acres or more who promise not to develop their land for at least 15 years
• For more information, visit www.ForOurForests.com

Amendment 2: Tax Allocation Districts (TADs)
• TAD bonds are issued by local governments and school boards to finance infrastructure improvements that are bringing new residents and businesses to blighted areas across Georgia
• The bonds are paid down using the additional property tax revenue from new development within the boundaries of the TAD
• This amendment clarifies that school boards can help finance these critical projects, which have generated millions in property taxes for school systems
• For more information, visit www.GeorgiaTAD.org

Amendment 3: Infrastructure Development Districts
• IDDs are similar to TADs in that they also fund infrastructure within their boundaries, including roads, bridges, schools, parks, and water, sewer and power lines
• One major difference is that TADs revitalize rundown urban areas, while IDDs bring economic growth to undeveloped or rural areas; this amendment allows them in Georgia for the first time
• For more information, visit www.IDDgeorgia.org

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Past Alliance News
October 16, 2008
October 6, 2008
September 12, 2008
May 14, 2008
May 2, 2008

Please click here to view all past newsletters
Good afternoon,

Thanks to our nominating committee for their thoughtful discussion and careful consideration. The 2009 Nominating Committee members are: Dotty Etris, Rod Musselman, Spurge Richardson, Ginger Roberts, Joy Walstrum and Barry White.

We had a number of great candidates, which is encouraging as we consider the future of TDAG and the strength of its leadership for 2009 and beyond.

Please click here to download the slate of 2009 Officers and Directors that was unanimously approved by the nominating committee and affirmed by the board of directors. (The link will take you to a Word document file.)

The committee felt strongly that all four directors scheduled to retire from the board in 2008 have provided great leadership and should be asked to continue to serve. All four directors eagerly accepted the invitation to serve a second term. Our by-laws allow for 15 at large directors. In 2008, we had 12 at large directors. The nominating committee decided to expand the directors to the maximum allowed by our by-laws. The first page of the document titled "2008 Nominating Committee Report" is the slate being presented to current members for a vote. The second page reflects directors continuing to serve.

Please contact me at joy@tourismdevelopmentalliance.org by noon on November 14 with your vote and feel free to contact any member of the nominating committee with questions or comments.

Vienna International Exchange Reminder

As we mentioned in the previous newsletter, TDAG began a partnership with the Vienna International Exchange (VIE) last year. VIE's primary role is to connect the Southeastern United States and Europe's Centrope region by means of education, politics, business and culture. VIE is supported by the state of Vienna and offers high-quality language trips, internships and teacher exchange programs.

TDAG has developed a very successful hospitality internship program with VIE, where Austrian Tourism/Vocational High School students are offered the possibility to travel to Georgia, in order to gain practical experience in their field of studies, as well as learn about the American culture and the English language.

For more information on this program, please click here. The program is currently accepting new internship positions for its applicants. If your company or organization is interested in offering internship positions through VIE, or if you would like more information, please contact Magdalena Wierowska at 404.816.2758 or magda@vieprograms.com or Joy Walstrum at joy@tourismdevelopmentalliance.org.

Georgia Chamber's 2008 Election Central

As an affiliate of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, TDAG strongly supports them in their endeavors, and the Georgia Chamber has assembled a comprehensive resource for the very important elections on November 4th. The unified voice of the business community, the Chamber remain committed to encouraging the successful election of pro-business candidates and keeping the voice of business strong at the Georgia General Assembly. Please click here or on the image above to begin using this great resource.

Also in this issue...

Please remember to mark your calendars for all upcoming events, make plans to attend our 2009 Tourism Day at the Capitol January 27, 2009 and our 2009 Annual Meeting. In this right-hand column, you will also find the downloadable 2008 TDAG Annual Report, a summary of the three 2008 Constitutional Amendments for the November 4, 2008 General Election and past Tourism Alliance News.

Best Regards,

Joy Spears Walstrum

Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia

404-223-2264 (w)

404-358-5634 (m)

404-223-2290 (fax)

joy@tourismdevelopmentalliance.org


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