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Baker County approves $425,500 for Baker City tourism transition, asks city to refine $100,000 tourism-facility request
Summary
The Baker County Board of Commissioners approved a $425,500 transfer to help Baker City stand up its transient lodging tax (TLT) program, with a condition that the city return to the county—TLT committee with a defined plan for a proposed $100,000 tourism-related facility before any further funding is released.
The Baker County Board of Commissioners on Thursday voted to approve $425,500 in TLT (transient lodging tax) funding to help Baker City transition to operating its own TLT program, but required the city to return to the county TLT committee with a specific project plan for any $100,000 tourism-facility request.
Baker City representatives asked the county to fund start-up marketing and related costs that the city said would ease the shift to a city-run TLT program. City staff said the initial application requested $625,500 and was trimmed to $575,500; the county and city ultimately negotiated the $425,500 package approved Thursday.
Commissioners pressed city representatives for more detail about a separate $100,000 line item the city labelled "tourism-related facility." One commissioner said the county—TLT ordinance requires applicants to identify the specific facility that would receive funds and asked the city to return with evidence that the Court Street Plaza or any other site fits the ordinance's definitions.
At the TLT committee hearing, a city representative told commissioners, “From our perspective, we believe this is a fair request to the county,” adding the request covered items the city and county have previously budgeted for and that the city expects the county fund balance to remain healthy after the transfer.
Commissioners and county staff also discussed several line items in the city's application, including an existing contract with Baker City Downtown (BCD). City officials said they could take over the BCD contract on July 1 and asked the county to make the $25,000 payment the county had committed through the end of that contract. Commissioners agreed the county would pay the $25,000 directly to BCD and maintain other county payments through the current contract term (ending Oct. 31).
After debate over unspecified line items and several reductions proposed by commissioners, Commissioner [unnamed] moved to approve $425,500 with the caveat that Baker City return to the TLT committee to define the tourism-related facility. The motion passed unanimously.
The county asked the city to bring the tourism-facility proposal back to the TLT committee by June 30 for committee review; any subsequent county funding beyond the $425,500 approved Thursday would require committee re-review and a new county action.
