Visit Harford Sues Cassilly Administration Over Withheld Payments

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Visit Harford!, the county's tourism organization, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Harford County Executive Robert Cassilly's administration, stating that a contract was breached and the the organization is owed $215,000.

A county spokesman said the administration had been working with the tourism group to resolve the funding dispute, and that the county was “disappointed” to get news of the lawsuit, according to Maryland Matters. Visit Harford is a nonprofit corporation that was created in 2014 and had been handling business and data collection related to tourism for Harford County.

The lawsuit said that the county and the nonprofit agency entered into a contract June 29, 2023, under which the county agreed to pay Visit Harford a total of $645,000 in three installments of $215,000. It said Visit Harford received two payments, but when it asked for the third in January, the county did not pay and has continued to refuse payment despite repeated attempts from the tourism group to get the funding, according to the court filing.

Visit Harford also claims in the lawsuit that $50,000 in a tourism grant earmarked for the organization was redirected to the county government instead. Visit Harford is seeking $215,000 in relief to complete the last payment, as well as an additional $75,000 if it wins the lawsuit, according to Maryland Matters.

Matthew Button, public information officer for the Harford County government, told Maryland matters that the decision to terminate the contract was a legitimate action to protect taxpayer dollars.

“Tourism marketing is funded with taxpayer dollars, and it is essential that these dollars be used effectively and fairly to support all local businesses and other stakeholders,” Button said in a prepared statement. “Funding was provided to Visit Harford over the past year, but it was contingent upon certain requirements. We were working with them to reconcile accounts and money due and reach a collaborative path forward. We were disappointed to receive notice of a lawsuit."

However, Visit Harford clarified on its social media platforms Thursday that taxpayer dollars aren't used for tourism marketing.

"To be absolutely clear, Visit Harford is funded through the county's hotel tax. As the name suggests, this tax is levied solely on visitors who spend the night (or, hopefully, multiple nights) in one of our wonderful hotels," the organization said. "This means, simply, that Harford County's visitors are paying for the marketing and promotional activities that attract even more visitors. Which, as the ... video points out, supports 6,500 local jobs and generates $479 million in annual tourism spending, which returns $61 million in county tax revenue for schools, police and roads.

"In other words, these economic and quality of life benefits are coming at no cost to the taxpayers of Harford County. We hope this clarifies any undue confusion caused by the county executive's inaccurate statements. Again, thanks to each of your for your friendship and support. It is a privilege to support the families and businesses of Harford County by promoting our amazing attractions," Visit Harford said.

The county closed its tourism and marketing division in 2015 and gave Visit Harford the power to promote travel and tourism on its own, reported The Baltimore Banner. In a June settlement offer obtained by The Baltimore Banner, the county gave Visit Harford two options: either the organization would assign its website and logo to the county in exchange for the $215,000 or the organization would keep its website and “waive disbursement” of the last installment.

Read more at Maryland Matters and The Baltimore Banner