GLENWOOD SPRINGS – Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association members took the offensive Thursday after City Council members pondered aloud whether a $500,000 advertising contract should be put out for bid.

The marketing contract, funded by the city’s 2.5 percent accommodations tax, has been held by the chamber since 1989. But some in council asked if the city is “getting the most bang for its buck” in automatically awarding the work to the chamber.

To answer these questions, chamber director Marianne Virgili and chamber members attended a City Council workshop Thursday.

“This is not the time to take your eye off what I see as a successful marketing campaign,” said Joe Livingston, director of the Small Business Development Center at Colorado Mountain College.

Livingston’s opinion was echoed by several others in the hotel, retail and marketing trades.

Jim Nelson, who owns an accounting firm in Glenwood Springs, said it “terrifies” him to think of taking the advertising contract away from the chamber.

After hearing glowing reviews of the chamber’s tiptop handling of the city’s advertising, council unofficially decided to keep the contract with the chamber.

“This is what the council needed to hear,” Mayor Don Vanderhoof said, “that the accommodation part of our town is satisfied with the way that money is being spent.”

Councilman Rick Davis added that it was never a lack of faith in the chamber, but rather making sure the service to the community is being met.

Lori Hogan, tourism and marketing director for the chamber, said she was glad to hear that council would likely keep the contract in the chamber’s hands.

She said she’d rather focus on marketing Glenwood Springs than writing up a proposal to compete for the contract.