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Every state agency was affected by the five-month delay in approving the state budget, Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble said. The tourism department must cut $500,000 a year for two years and, because of lost time, must cut $1 million within 18 months, she said.
Located along the Iowa border and Mississippi River, the Prairie du Chien center also houses the local Chamber of Commerce, and the state pays the city $10,000 a year in rent to use the building.
The center, which attracted about 70,000 people annually, costs about $62,000 a year to operate and has one full-time employee and three part-time staff members. It normally was open seven months a year, from April through October.
“Our decision is not at all a reflection on the staff. It’s purely a strategic business decision,” Trumble said.
The center in Genoa City, which is along the Illinois border, also will be shuttered.
“Our budget is $15 million, and $12 million of that goes to marketing,” Trumble said Monday at the Prairie du Chien City Hall.
A decision was made not to cut into the advertising budget, leaving the cuts to come from operational expenses. The Prairie du Chien and Genoa City centers will be closed because other centers, including La Crosse, are nearby.
Prairie du Chien Mayor Cheryl Mader called the decision short-sighted.
“It has a direct impact for the city of Prairie du Chien … but a larger implication for area tourism, other businesses and tourists looking for information,” she said.
Crawford County Board Chairman Ron Leys said the city feels as if it has been abandoned by the state.
“We’re like the Appalachia of Wisconsin,” he said. “We have beautiful scenery, but the average salary is $10,000 less than the state average. We need help from the state, but we’re not getting it.”
Trumble pledged to work with the local chamber of commerce.
“Our energy should not be put into anger, blame and finger-pointing, but the cuts are final,” she said.
State Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse, called the closing “an emotional issue.”
“There are tough decisions that have to be made, and if there are no alternatives, how do we make lemonade?” Kapanke said.
