The board of the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau expects less income and spending in the new year in what’s being called a more realistic and more workable spending plan.

The tourism agency board approved its 2007 budget in a special meeting Tuesday. The new plan also calls for a higher end-of-year balance.

&#8220Hopefully we’ll be working with a good, solid budget,” said Nelda Sampey, chairman of the volunteer board of city and county appointees.

For the first full year, VCVB operations will be conducted by Compass Facility Management and the budget was prepared by Compass director of business and operations Norman Ford and VCVB senior sales and marketing executive Colleen May.

It projects that $900,000 will be collected via the local 1 percent tax added to sales at restaurants, motels and bars. That’s down from the $925,286 expected this year.

Projected spending for the coming year, $1,144,814, has also been lowered from $1,265,158 this year.

The difference – with more than $200,000 more in expected spending than expected income – is accounted for in carryover funds and in a $249,500 allocation for &#8220one-time” projects. Presumably, those projects will track money as it becomes available.

Last year, &#8220they had a surplus, and they planned on spending it,” Ford said. This year, &#8220I hope we’ll end up with a lot more. But, I don’t want to start off too rosy.”

Compass, which also contracts with the City of Vicksburg to manage the Vicksburg Convention Center and Vicksburg Auditorium, was hired by the VCVB in March to fill the role of executive director.

The services and operations category falls by $80,000, but remains the largest category at $360,167. Personnel services rises by $80,000 to $347,496.

Compass is compensated in a variety of ways, with $45,000 set aside for Compass reimbursements.

In addition to lowering projections for the upcoming year, Ford and May decided to reformat the budget to make sure money – and progress – can be tracked from year to year.

&#8220We wanted to break them out and track them, so we can see what the return is,” Ford said.

The board’s budget approval was the result of a 6 to 1 vote, with board member Omar Nelson who said the $10,000 allotted for event sponsorship was too low.

That figure, up from the actual $9,537 in 2006, is to provide local organizers cash to help put on local events.

&#8220I think we have great organizations here, and a lot of them could gain a great boost with our help,” Nelson said. &#8220I don’t think $10,000 is enough.”

Sales and marketing, under which event sponsorship falls, underwent some alterations, most notably in types of advertising. Where $176,205 was once spent on magazine ads, this year $71,000 will be allocated. May said more money will be spent on broadcast advertising, such as radio and television spots.

&#8220We had a committee of 10 people…and we went over how we were spending our advertising dollars,” she said.

Specialty and direct mail also had a boost of more than $4,000. Trade shows and market places, a venue where people are out &#8220face-to-face selling Vicksburg” also had an increase of nearly $20,000.

Sampey said the board will rely heavily on advertising.

&#8220I hope that we have put together a budget that is conservative,” she said. &#8220And that we are able to bring more visitors, more dollars and more revenue – and do the best with what we have to work with.”

The VCVB, established in 1972 as the sole funding arm for area tourism, was the first agency of its type in the state and its budget has grown from as little as $40,000 per year to the current level.

The board will meet for the first of its 2007 meetings at 5 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Vicksburg Convention Center.