TUPELO - The board of the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau approved a $3.7 million budget this week that includes a reconfigured staffing structure for the city's tourism department.

The restructuring is part of a new strategy to change the focus of the CVB. The CVB now will support events instead of creating and developing them.

The Tupelo Film Festival is a prime example of the new strategy.

The CVB started the festival and has run it for the past nine years. However, the new strategy calls for the CVB to hand it off to another group. Pat Rasberry, who is a CVB staffer, the film commissioner and festival coordinator, retains her title as film commissioner but she also assumes the additional role of in-market specialist.

The specialist is a new job the CVB board created last month. This person, according to a job description presented in August, is responsible for helping make sure there is something to do in Tupelo 365 days of the year. The person also is responsible for ensuring visitors and business travelers get partnered with the action.

Other sales positions have been realigned to focus on areas needing more attention, and the budget reflects the positions.

For example, film and in-market activities now have $70,000 compared to $100,000 in the prior fiscal year.

However, Neal McCoy, executive director of the CVB, said the film festival still is fully funded for the 2013, its 10th anniversary.

He also said the restructuring doesn't mean layoffs at the CVB.

The biggest expense in the budget - $1 million - is an annual commitment to pay off debt for the BancorpSouth Arena. Sports development takes up the next chunk with an allocation of $220,000 compared with $261,000 in the prior year.

An additional $40,000 has been allocated to public relations, corporate, religious and fraternal sales projects.

The CVB board also voted to give the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation $150,000 for the on-going expansion project at the birthplace.

Plus, the CVB is allocating $100,000 to the construction of the aquatic facility. Seth Gaines of the CVB said the project is scheduled to break ground Sept. 25 with completion in October 2013.

The CVB also has dedicated $100,000 to building a Vietnam Veterans Wall in Tupelo.

The budget now goes before the City Council for approval.

carlie.wells@journalinc.com