Well, something I learned early in life is to improve anything in this world, be it a car, a house or a city, it takes money, time and effort. Effort and volunteerism can only go so far (especially with a populace which lacks motivation).... so ultimately, if you want to change the way things are, you have to invest and spend money. Sure, it's not perfect, but it's the way the world works. 

I'm sure the city could raise taxes to pay for the visitor center and new city administrator.... I'm sure a lot of people would just love that... but in reality, there are a lot of state and federal funds and grants which are dedicated to small towns like ours. Better to use those funds to their fullest extent, and leverage those investments, than immediately resort to raising funds with taxes. 

Some of the most successful tourists traps in the Puget Sound are old timber towns. They invested in their community, leveraged outside funding sources... and they've seen incredible success because of it.