Highlands board moves to convey visitor center to Chamber and approves one-year $1 lease

The Highlands Town Board voted to pursue conveying the visitor center property to the Highlands Chamber of Commerce under a state statute that allows conveyance with a reversionary interest, and it directed the Chamber to bear closing costs for that conveyance.

Town Attorney Nick Tosco outlined three options: proceed with the current lease arrangement (including a landscaping payment), convey the property under a statute allowing a reversionary interest with no monetary consideration other than the Chamber’s promise to maintain the visitor center, or convey with monetary consideration while retaining a reversion. Tosco said a reversionary interest would require the property to be used for the visitor center/chamber purpose and would revert to the town if that use ceased.

Commission discussion: one commissioner said the donor who provided the building intended it to be used as a visitor center, not as an office for the chamber, and urged caution while occupancy-tax arrangements remain unsettled. Commissioner Weller said, “I think we should move ahead with option 2,” and the board voted to proceed; a commissioner later summarized the vote as 3–2.

Because of continued uncertainty about occupancy-tax administration and future county-level decisions, the board also approved proceeding with a separate, one-year $1 lease for the Chamber while the town continues work on broader funding and occupancy-tax discussions.

Why it matters: the property was donated and/or purchased with donated funds for use as a welcome/visitor center. A statutory conveyance with a reversionary clause protects the town’s interest in public use, while a temporary nominal lease preserves continuity of visitor services as larger occupancy-tax and funding questions are resolved.

Next steps: town staff and the attorney will prepare conveyance documents and the one-year lease (the board directed the Chamber to pay costs associated with conveyance). The town will continue discussions with county partners about occupancy-tax distribution and whether a local tourism development authority will change funding flows to the Chamber.