Consideration being given to hiring intern for visitors bureau

YORK – This week, the York County Commissioners had a conversation with Alex Saathoff, director of the York County Visitors Bureau (YCBV), regarding the possibility of hiring a part-time intern to work at the local agency.

​Saathoff explained how there is extra work at the YCVB right now as she is working to implement a high-tech program which would track where visitors to York are coming from and where they are going. “This will allow us to have so much more information and thereby make more informed decisions about how the lodging tax dollars are spent to enhance tourism to York County,” Saathoff explained.
The intern would work between 15-20 hours a week, doing things like maintaining the agency’s photo library, keeping up with the YCVB social media, creating marketing materials and fliers, keeping information up to date for the county’s attractions, Saathoff said.
“Would this position be more of a summer-type internship or a continual one throughout the year?” asked Commissioner Chairman Daniel Grotz.
“I’d like to have it all year, but as we will be working with York University, it will likely be semester to semester,” Saathoff said.
“Yes, the plan is to utilize York University,” said Commissioner Randy Obermier, who also sits on the YCVB advisory board. “Where would this position be housed?”
Saathoff said there is an empty office in the building where the YCVB, York Chamber of Commerce and the York County Development Corporation are housed. “That office would be used.
Obermier asked if this position would also be sharing some responsibilities with the other offices in that building – Saathoff said that could be done but she would rather see the intern working strictly for YCVB as the hours would be limited each week.
“What about the pay?” Obermier asked, noting the visitors improvement fund (which is financed through revenue from the county’s lodging tax) pays the director’s salary now.
Saathoff said enough has been budgeted from that fund to cover a new internship.
“What was your board’s feedback?” Grotz asked Saathoff.
“Hiring another person came up early when I started as I generated more ideas and started creating extra work,” Saathoff said. “They are all being very supportive of this.”
“We have a YCVB committee meeting this week, I’m sure we will talk more about it,” Obermier told the commissioners. “It would be nice to know more about the pay range. We can talk about that further and then I will bring that information back to this board.”
The commissioners agreed to postponed this conversation or action until they learn more information.