Companies selling advertising spots on maps offered by the local Convention & Visitors Bureau are legitimate and are unrelated to the company using the Milledgeville Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce name, CVB director Jane Sowell Tuesday.

“It is unfortunate timing that this company would be doing this at the same time we are selling our maps,” said Sowell.

Currently, the CVB has authorized City Maps to sell advertising on a street map of Milledgeville and Baldwin County on behalf of the CVB.

“The more advertisers we have, the more copies we are able to print,” Sowell said. “Last time we had a print run of 25,000.”

The maps show points of interest in and around Baldwin County and are offered at the CVB for interested parties. The maps are produced every five years and City Maps has authorization to sell on behalf of the CVB.

“We have supplied the company with a letter on CVB letterhead that authorizes City Maps to sell the advertising for the maps on our behalf,” Sowell said.

She said Milledgeville Mayor Richard Bentley has also signed off on the City Maps program.

On behalf of a four-county tourism plan, the CVB is also partnering with Green, Morgan and Putnam counties and communities around the lake for a map of Georgia’s Lake Country that also features ads, the sale of which is also authorized by the CVB.

“The maps are distributed here and at the Chamber as well as with the advertisers,” Sowell said. “We constantly give out maps to visitors and to locals daily.”

Sowell said if anyone has any questions about the legitimacy of ad sales on behalf of the CVB they should call (478) 452-4687.