Woodland LTAC recommends $65,000 package to support visitor center, events and downtown revitalization

The Woodland Lodging Tax Advisory Committee on Tuesday recommended that the city council approve $65,000 in lodging-tax awards for 2026, with $40,000 earmarked for the Woodland Visitor Center, $10,000 for Downtown Woodland Revitalization (DWR), $10,000 for the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens and $5,000 for Woodland Planters Days. The recommendation was adopted unanimously by the five-member committee and will be forwarded to city council for final approval.

The committee’s recommendation matters because LTAC (lodging‑tax advisory) funds are restricted to activities that attract visitors and increase “heads in beds.” Amanda (city staff) told the committee the state law (RCW) requires recipients to provide invoices and proof of expenditures to receive LTAC funds, a change that affects how organizations must budget and whether the city will reimburse expenses after they are incurred.

Downtown Woodland Revitalization presentation: Adonica Simpson, president of Downtown Woodland Revitalization, told the committee DWR has expanded events that attracted visitors this summer, including an outdoor movie series at Horseshoe Lake she said drew “over 1,100 people over a five‑week period.”…