Northern Nevada tourism agency makes cuts
RENO -- The principal agency promoting tourism in the Reno-Sparks area said Tuesday that it was being forced to make more budget cuts and layoffs due to declines in revenue from hotel room taxes.
The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority said that seven more full-time employees have been laid off as part of a plan to cut its budget by nearly $1 million.
"It is always difficult and painful," the authority's CEO, Ellen Oppenheim, said about the layoffs.
The cuts and layoffs come after the authority laid off 45 full-time workers last year as part of a $7.5 million budget cut. It also has scheduled mandatory one-week furloughs for all employees, with the majority to be taken during the week of Christmas.
Approximately 73 percent of the budget cuts came from operational reductions and 27 percent from staff reductions, Oppenheim said.
