Hiram council authorizes mayor to renew hotel-motel tax agreement, directing full distribution to Old Town Hiram Business Association

The City of Hiram authorized the mayor to execute a renewal of the hotel-motel excise tax distribution agreement, directing 100% of the city’s disbursement to Old Town Hiram Business Association. An unidentified council member (Speaker 5) made the motion to authorize the mayor to execute the agreement, and another council member (Speaker 4) seconded. The motion was approved by voice vote; the council recorded no roll-call or numeric tally on the record.

Why it matters: The action routes local hotel-motel excise tax revenue exclusively to Old Town Hiram Business Association (OTHBA), which will control the distribution covered by the agreement. That affects how lodging tax receipts are used for tourism and business promotion in Hiram.

Details: The mover’s motion stated the action as “authorize the mayor to execute an agreement with Old Town Hiram Business Association for renewal of the hotel motel excise tax distribution agreement, allocating 100% of its disbursement to OTHBA, otherwise known as Old Town Hiram Business Association.” After a second, the council took a voice vote. The meeting record shows the presiding official called for “All in favor? Opposed? Okay,” and announced proceeding to an executive session; no roll-call vote or numeric breakdown was provided in the transcript.

Scope and next steps: The transcript does not specify the agreement’s term, reporting requirements, or how OTHBA will document use of the funds. The council gave the mayor authority to execute the renewal; the record does not show further conditions, oversight language, or a published timetable for distribution.

Provenance: The motion and vote are recorded in the meeting transcript at the council’s work session (motion text and second at the 277.04–295.47 second block; closing voice vote and transition to executive session at the 298.69–313.03 second block).