If the DeKalb City Council passes a resolution on second reading Aug. 9, the $50,000 DeKalb Convention and Visitors Bureau will open in early September, said bureau coordinator Kim Kubiak.

According to its mission statement, the bureau aims to “actively participate in tourism activities throughout the community.” To enhance the bureau, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce also plans to build a Web site and start a telephone hotline for visitors.

The bureau will hire a full-time employee for $25,000 per year. That employee will work from a desk within the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and market the town to individuals, groups and organizations, Kubiak said.

The full-time employee also will assist the chamber’s bookkeeper and help the executive director oversee tourism finances, which will include funding for pamphlets.

Kubiak said the program will be on a one-year contract with the city. The chamber initially proposed a three-year plan, but the city council reduced its tentative contract to one year at its July 26 meeting.

“It’s a whole market that we’ve been unable to tap into,” Kubiak said. “We used to have only $20,000 to promote everything DeKalb has to everywhere. We needed a whole staff member devoted to bringing conventions and events to the city.”

The NIU Convocation Center will not channel money directly to the bureau, but one Convocation Center representative will sit on the bureau’s administrative board. Representatives from University Plaza, the Holmes Student Center and the Community Development Office also will serve on the board.

The arena’s marketing manager Kevin Selover said they have not yet chosen a representative. Selover also said organizing the bureau is a good move for the community.

“The university is continuing to grow, and it seems like we’re bringing in more and more events. This is just a step in the right direction,” Selover said.