Visit Baton Rouge board OK’s 2014 budget, pay raise for Arrigo

The board of directors overseeing Visit Baton Rouge today OK’d a new budget for the tourism promotion agency, and also approved a new contract and pay raise for VBR President and CEO Paul Arrigo. The agency’s spending plan for next year totals $4,118,000. Approximately 99% of the agency’s revenue comes from a share of the city’s lodging tax on hotels and motels. Revenue next year is expected to be about $390,000 higher than this year, an increase of about 4%. Expenses will rise about $320,000 next year to roughly $4,019,000. Wages and employee benefits account for approximately 43% of VBR’s expenses. The board also OK’d today a new contract for Arrigo through next year that includes a pay raise of $4,526, bringing his annual salary to $156,700 for 2014. —Staff report