Those television ads promoting Michigan's lakes and summer shorelines may never run for the upcoming tourist season if lawmakers don't act soon, Michigan Economic Development Corp. CEO Greg Main warned Tuesday.
Main said the state is losing the window to buy time for the ads to run.
"There's not much wiggle room. April is already sold out," Main said. "Pretty soon May is going to be sold, and if May is sold, then you might as well not have a campaign, because May is the time when people start making their plans on where they're going to vacation this summer."
The tourism promotion's budget reached a high of $30 million last fiscal year. That allowed the campaign to go national for the first time, touting the state's golf courses, beaches, lakes and other destinations to an estimated 60 million people on cable TV.
State officials would like to have the same amount to spend on this year's campaign. But the Pure Michigan fund so far has only $5.4 million, and lawmakers are having a hard time agreeing on a way to pay for much more.
The state Senate voted two weeks ago to move $9.5 million in use taxes -- similar to sales taxes -- from the general fund to the "Pure Michigan" promotion this year, raising funding to about $15 million. Critics say it's an empty move since there's not enough money in the general fund to pay for the program.
A House committee last week voted to pump $20 million into the ad campaign, with $13 million coming from a new $2.50-per-day tax on vehicles rented at airports. Senate Republicans oppose the rental fee, but Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm sees it as a way to tap visitors for some of the tourism campaign's cost.
"Why we wouldn't fund it with 95 percent out-of-state money is beyond me," she said Tuesday. "This is an opportunity for us to play offense, and not to just to play defense. ... You better believe these Pure Michigan ads are one of the best ways to send a message out about the truth of this state, which is that it's a fantastic, beautiful state."
Main said there's still time for lawmakers to act, but they must do so quickly.
"If they got together and moved in the next two weeks, we could save the summer campaign," he said. "But if we don't get decent legislation that sets up the fund ... we're going to miss" out.
The "Pure Michigan" campaign has been hailed by supporters a significant help to a state tourism industry already struggling to weather the state's long-running economic slump. Critics say it should be paid for by the tourism industry, not with tax dollars.