CHRISTIANSBURG -- Shane Adams, director of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, gave town council a delayed update on a tourism initiative Tuesday -- a project in the works for the past two years.

The update came during a time in which the council has been critical of Adams, who has a contract to provide updates on the initiative twice each year, in April and September. The most recent presentation was delayed, Adams said, because of family obligations. The contract is part of the town's agreement with the chamber, in which the town contributed $93,000 during the last fiscal year.

The tourism project, funded jointly by Christiansburg, Blacksburg and Montgomery County through a percentage of the transient lodging tax, involves a contract with the chamber for tourism promotion of the area. Adams told council that a Tourism Development Council was formed six months ago and has contacted a firm to do a comprehensive tourism study to identify target markets. Adams said the research will begin in January and should be completed by early next spring.

Adams also said plans are in the works to develop a temporary tourism Web site. After the research is in, he said his organization will put together a marketing plan.

"Once we know which direction we're going, we'll know which magazines to advertise in," he said, noting that current tourism ads are placed in the Virginia Is For Lovers travel guide, the Blue Ridge Parkway travel guide, the Wilderness Road brochure and Virginia Lifestyles magazine.

"The ads we have purchased have been very successful for us," he said, noting that the $14,000 full-page ad in Virginia Is For Lovers generated 10,000 inquiries at the Blacksburg-Christiansburg Visitors Center last year.

Councilman Brad Stipes told Adams at Tuesday's meeting that he would like to "see more openness on the financial standpoint" of the initiative.

"I haven't seen the particulars of where the money is going," Stipes noted. During the last fiscal year, Christiansburg contributed its $93,000 to the initiative, more than Blacksburg or Montgomery County. Of the 7 percent transient lodging tax collected in each jurisdiction, 1 percent goes to tourism. Town Manager Lance Terpenny said he expects Christiansburg will contribute more than $108,000 this fiscal year.

Mayor Richard Ballengee asked Adams whether he was satisfied that the tourism initiative is an effective tool for bringing visitors to Christiansburg.

"I would like to see it be more effective," Adams said. "We've got a lot of partners to satisfy ... My ultimate goal is that one day the chamber does not do tourism. Honestly, it's a daunting task for an area this size."

Also at Tuesday's meeting, the Christiansburg Police Department was presented the Virginia Law Enforcement Challenge Award by Don Adams of the Governor's Highway Safety Office. Christiansburg won first place in the category for its size, followed by the Culpeper and Bedford police departments. The award was given in recognition of the town's traffic safety programs.

Council, too, adopted a resolution designating Christiansburg as an "antiques corridor," following a presentation last month on the efforts of several businesses to make the town a destination for antiques shoppers.

Following an update by Stipes, council also voted to approve an appropriation not to exceed $40,000 for a redesign of the town's Web site and an appropriation of $500 per month for related maintenance costs after the new site is launched. The allotment will be spread out over three years. Stipes said a committee studying the issue since August agreed that a designer with expertise in government sites should be hired to create an "attractive, informative and easy-to-use Web site."

Council's vote did not clear the way for the site to handle financial transactions, however. The town now has the software needed to do business online, but the software will require an upgrade to the computer system's module. Council agreed to look at that upgrade in the future.

Finally, council voted not to offer an exemption for police officers on local license fees for car decals. Saying they did not want to single out one group of town employees over another, members voted to leave the requirements as they are now. Currently, only volunteer fire and rescue workers are exempted from paying the decal fees.