Carson City CTA working on new contract for Epic Rides

The Carson City Culture and Tourism Authority this week took the first step to cancel the current contract for the Epic Rides bike race and negotiate a new deal.

The current contract with Mountain Bike America, LLC, the event organizer, runs for five events but the final race was canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The contract hasn’t been completed and the idea here is to negotiate a new multiyear contract and it’s easiest to terminate the existing contract so we have a clean slate,” said Pierron Tackes, counsel to the authority.

Under the terms of the contract, the contract can be terminated by either party, according to David Peterson, executive director, CTA.

The CTA also reinstated full staff pay. In May, the CTA voted to cut staff salaries 5 percent and the director’s salary 10 percent in anticipation of significant drop in revenues from the room tax, which funds the CTA.

But revenues came in higher than expected. In May, the authority was projecting a 26 percent drop in revenue for fiscal year 2020, which ended in June, to $15.3 million. But, actual revenue came in at $17.3 million.

“We had a bleak outlook at the time, but projections are off and we’re doing much better than we thought we would,” said Mike Jones, chair. “Staff has had to bear the hardship of this and it’s time we lift those reductions and restrictions in pay.”

Two members of the Cultural Commission, Karen Abowd and Barbara D’Anneo, spoke about moving the job of arts and culture coordinator back into the tourism office and to continue to fund it with 1 percent of the 11 percent room tax.

The position was created in 2016 and is now vacant after Mark Salinas recently left the job. The position was originally part of the tourism staff but was later moved into City Hall, under the direction of the city manager.

The 1 percent bump in occupancy tax which funds the position sunsets next year.