Resident calls Madison County Tourism budget 'not a real budget' at public hearing; county staff promises more detail

At a Dec. 5 public hearing on Madison County’s tentative 2026 budget, resident Art Libio sharply criticized the county’s presentation of Madison County Tourism’s budget, calling the tourism entry a “non-budget” and saying it lacks expense categories and an accounting for roughly $381,000 already spent.

“There's no accounting so far for the $381,000 spent…This is not a real budget,” Art Libio said during the public comment period, urging the board to require itemized expense lines and greater transparency for tourism spending.

County staff responded that Madison County Tourism is a contractual agency rather than a county department, and offered a procedural remedy: staff said they would work with Caitlin Lynch to post more detailed expenditure information on the county’s website so the public can review specific line items.

Why it matters: Libio contended that tourism spending comes from occupancy-tax revenue and is therefore taxpayer money that requires transparent accounting. He noted past budgets in 2024 and 2025 showed tourism appropriations of approximately $500,000 and $550,000 respectively, and he called the current presentation “embarrassing” and unacceptable for public review.

Board action and next steps: The public hearing record shows no formal change to the budget that day; staff committed to publish additional detail online and to work with the identified staff member (Caitlin Lynch) to provide clearer line-item reporting. The hearing was then closed and the meeting proceeded with other agenda business.

Provenance: Public hearing and Art Libio’s comment are recorded in the meeting transcript; staff response offering to post details online also appears in the hearing record.