ZELIENOPLE — Members of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau who are situated outside the county will no longer receive the same perks as their in-county competitors.

Bureau executive board members Thursday voted to discontinue allowing out-of-county members to advertise in printed publications or on the bureau's Web site.

The majority of the tourism bureau's budget comes from bed tax revenue generated by hotels and bed and breakfasts in the county, said Jack Cohen, executive director.

Spending that money on businesses outside the county, which do not fund the bureau budget, is "shooting ourselves in the foot," he said.

Tourism bureau members in and out of Butler County pay $150 a year in dues. Hotels and motels from outside the county pay a different rate. Instead of a flat fee, they pay $10 per room.

County members are listed in the annual visitor's guide and on the tourism bureau Web site with a photograph, have brochures displayed at the tourism office and receive other benefits.

Only a half-dozen of the bureau's 225 members are outside the county.

The new policy states those members will be listed in the visitor's guide and on the tourism Web site with an address, phone number and Web site address only.

That is effective immediately.

Promoting them as much as county businesses is taking money and opportunity away from Butler County, Cohen said.

Board members agreed.

"Your gut call would be to stay with what you've got in Butler County," said member Ed Wethli.

However, having some members who are outside Butler County can be beneficial because of their location, said Joey Hamilton, membership coordinator.

Chapel Valley Estate Bed and Breakfast is just over the Butler County line in Beaver County while Living Treasures Animal Park is just over the Butler County line in Lawrence County, she said.

Both businesses are somewhat isolated and visitors could be attracted to shop, eat or stay in Butler County, she said.

Cohen said Lawrence County lost 50 percent of its state tourism budget last year because of a change in the state funding formula for tourism agencies and could lose another 41 percent this year, leaving little funding for advertising.

Butler County should not pick up the slack for free, he said.

"They're looking at ways to increase their business through us and that's going to cost us money," he said. "We have a lot of things we haven't done in our own county, why should be look at new problems?"