Tensions mount between Visit Harford, county executive over mandated money

Visit Harford Board President Jay Ellenby claims the tourism nonprofit is owed hotel tax money from the county that it is entitled to by law.

Twenty-five percent of the balance of hotel occupancy tax collected shall be paid over to Visit Harford, according to the amended ordinance, which was vetoed by Harford County Bob Cassilly, and was unanimously overridden by the county council last December.

"Hoteliers are very, very upset about this," Ellenby said. "They're very angry because it's the hotel tax that they're collecting from people coming in, and they know it's not being used for tourism purposes."

Fueling the Harford County feud

The latest spat comes after Visit Harford filed a lawsuit against Cassilly and the county in July 2024 for allegedly withholding $215,000 of money contractually owed to them.

At the time, Cassilly stated a lack of transparency as the reason.

"I don't know how much better it can be when we, Visit Harford, submit quarterly data, including receipts on what was purchased," Ellenby said.

How does funding loss impact Visit Baltimore?

Ellenby says the loss of funding has drastically impacted Visit Harford's ability to promote tourism.

According to Ellenby, in 2022, Harford County brought in more than $470 million in tourism dollars, and more than $60 million of that was taxable income that went back to county functions, such as law enforcement and schools.

Ellenby is worried about where those numbers stand now.

"Every area is saying there is a lack of revenue," Ellenby said. "The impact is really on Harford County when it comes to tourism and the lack of tourism that is going to happen or is happening today."

Harford County seeks proper documentation

Harford County Public Information Officer Matthew Button said the county has been requesting proper documentation from Visit Harford for more than a year, which is part of the reimbursement procedure.

"Visit Harford is seeking reimbursement for undocumented expenditures incurred in FY 2024," Button said. "Harford County Government does not disburse funds without proper documentation. The county has been requesting that documentation from Visit Harford for over a year. There is no funding in the current, approved FY 2025 budget for Visit Harford."

This latest dispute has been added to the lawsuit, and a court date is scheduled for September.