Title
Review of 2022 Lodging Tax Funded Tourism Services Proposals
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Review the proposals and develop recommendations to forward to City Council.
Report
Issue:
Whether to develop recommendations for 2022 tourism funding
Staff Contact:
Mike Reid, Economic Development Director, 360.753.8591
Presenter(s):
Each organization that submitted a proposal has been notified of the meeting date and encouraged to have a representative present in case the Committee has questions.
Background and Analysis:
Annually, the Olympia Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) makes recommendations on use of approximately one-half of the City's Lodging Tax Fund. Per a long-standing agreement that pre-dates the Committee's creation, the City uses the other half for capital and operating costs of the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, a City-owned facility.
An open call for tourism services funded by the Olympia Lodging Tax was advertised beginning August 27, 2021. The application deadline was September 24, 2021.
Eighteen (18) applications were received by deadline and the Committee will consider a standing request of $100,000 from the Visitor and Convention Bureau, all totaling $712,091. The City's Finance Director anticipates new lodging tax revenue for 2022 to be $377,694.
If all awarded lodging tax dollars from 2021 are invoiced and paid out, 2022 would begin with $681,507 in reserves. Staff anticipates the majority of awarded funds from 2021 will be successfully invoices, but there were a few events that were cancelled.
Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) Chair Cheryl Selby will present the Committee's recommendations to the City Council during the Council's regular business meeting on November 1, 2021, under Other Business for the 2022 Preliminary Operating Budget discussion.
The Council's Public Hearing on the City's 2022 budget, including Lodging Tax recom...
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