SIDNEY — Sidney City Council received a presentation on the Sidney Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) during Monday’s workshop session.

The Sidney Visitors Bureau is a destination marketing organization whose purpose is to advance, encourage, and promote travel and tourism activities for the city of Sidney. The organization offers a full range of services that includes travel itineraries, hotel and restaurant selection assistance, area maps, meeting and conference facility assistance, and more.

Jeff Raible, executive director of the Sidney-Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, shared the Sidney CVB’s methods and mediums of promoting Sidney through print, digital, social media, visitors guides, travel shows, events and billboards to reach an estimated 5,355,000 people.

In 2020, Raible said, CVB will promote Sidney Bicentennial celebrations. The organization also plans to invite cyclist participating in the 32nd Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure this year, which is starting and ending in Sidney, to the city’s new summer music and art festival set for the same weekend. In 2020, it will also work to create a place brand for Sidney and Shelby County, and help welcome a new 100 room hotel to Sidney in December.

Mayor Mike Barhorst asked Raible if they can tell if the advertisement is working. Raible joked that was an age old question for those in marketing and advertising. Raible said it is hard to tell, but they can tell how many people click on certain sites or take guest services cards that are handed out at local hotels which direct them to the CVB’s website.

Also Monday evening, other than the rezoning ordinance near Wilson Health for a digital billboard, City Council also adopted two other ordinances, and they are:

• To levy special assessments for the construction and repair of certain described sidewalks in Sidney.

Randy Magoto, engineering manager, brought forth the assessment for the cost of construction and repairs of certain sidewalks. He said the city made the necessary repairs to certain sidewalks for property owners who did not complete the work on their own during 2019. A notice of assessments was published in the paper for three weeks, and city staff didn’t receive any objections to assessment amounts, Magoto said. Bills would be sent out two weeks after Monday’s adoption of the ordinance. Property owners would then have 60 days to pay the bill or have it placed on their property taxes over a five-year period.

• To enact an ordinance that adopts pay table and classification plan changes for public employees.

At the end of the meeting, City Manager Mark Cundiff shared there will be a ribbon cutting event on Feb. 20 at Ask Amy Home Furnishings, 230 E. Russell Road. He also reminded council members about the Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner on March 3.

Barhorst shared a few of the upcoming Sidney Bicentennial events; the opening ceremony is scheduled for March 14.