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Tourism Board Regular Meeting

Town of Hillsborough · Tourism Board
Monday, January 5, 2026 at 5:30 pm

Regular meeting Budget and appropriationsAppointments and personnel

Agenda document Full packet Minutes Meeting page Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved 3Minutes review and approval Approved 6-0

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

The Hillsborough Tourism Board interviews a candidate for a new board seat, Spencer Welborn of Eno Brewing, and adopts its 2026 regular meeting schedule. The board also reviews an initial draft FY27 budget alongside FY25/26 revenue comparisons, and considers sending members to the 2026 VisitNC365 tourism conference in Asheville in March.

The rest of the meeting is routine: minutes approval, a tourism staff and Visitors Center report, and county/OC Visitors Bureau updates.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

Hillsborough's Tourism Board recommended Spencer Welborn, a co-owner of Eno River Brewing, for its vacant food and beverage tax remitter seat on 5 January, 6-0, sending the appointment to the town board. It also adopted its 2026 meeting calendar, 6-0, keeping the 1 June budget meeting despite concerns about attendance near Memorial Day.

Staff presented a first draft of the fiscal 2027 budget, with last year's contract partner amounts as placeholders. It showed a deficit of about $50,000 and listed possible projects: kiosks on Calvin and Nash streets shared with the town, a shade shelter at the Riverwalk's Weaver Street entrance, and a website rebuild. Members split on whether to trim partner allocations or draw on fund balance, and Scott Czechlewski asked for ten years of fund balance figures. The Chamber reported 92 Christmas parade entries, and the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough sold 270 tickets to Tinsel and Traditions against a goal of 250.

How the votes went

Agenda, 6-0. 3 November 2025 minutes, 6-0. 2026 meeting schedule, 6-0. Recommending Spencer Welborn's appointment, 6-0 (Caton moved, Cabbage seconded).

From the published minutes.

Speaking at this meeting

Town of Hillsborough's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (6)

Minutes approval · 1Appointment · 1Procedural · 1Budget action · 1Discussion item · 1Staff or committee report · 1
  1. 3 Minutes review and approval
    Minutes approval
    Approval of November 3, 2025 meeting minutes.
    Approved 6-0
  2. 4.A New board member interview - Spencer Welborn (Eno Brewing)
    Appointment Appointments and personnel
    The board interviews Spencer Welborn, of Eno Brewing, as a candidate for a board seat.
    Appointment recommended to the town board, 6-0
  3. 5.A 2026 Tourism Board Regular Meeting Schedule Adoption
    Procedural
    Adoption of the board's regular meeting schedule for 2026.
    Adopted 6-0
  4. 5.B FY 27 Initial Draft Budget & FY 25/26 Revenue Comparisons
    Budget action Budget and appropriations
    Review of an initial draft FY27 budget and a comparison of FY25/26 revenue figures.
  5. 5.C 2026 VisitNC365 Conference Attendance (March 16-18 Asheville, NC)
    Discussion item Budget and appropriations
    Discussion of board member attendance at the 2026 VisitNC365 tourism conference in Asheville.
  6. 6.A Tourism Staff Report, Visitors Center Updates, & OC Visitors Bureau Updates
    Staff or committee report
    Routine staff and Visitors Center updates.

Agenda changes

What moved between published versions of this agenda. Item numbers shift constantly as things are inserted, so only genuine additions and removals are listed.

Other recent meetings of this board