Midway council reviews TAP application surge, proposes clearer rules and staff vetting

City officials reviewed a larger-than-expected number of Transient Accommodations Tax (TAP) grant applications and discussed changes to the application calendar and review process to reduce duplication and clarify eligible uses.

The discussion centered on two funding cycles for the year and efforts to align Midway’s schedule with Wasatch County and Heber City. Camille, a city staff member who presented the packet, said the current applications being reviewed were submitted in late 2024 and that the city plans open applications each January through March, with staff recommendations to council in May and funding in June.

The council and staff flagged a rise in requests — the packet showed roughly $103,009 in the city’s general TAP fund at the December balance — and that the group of applications to be reviewed at the upcoming work meeting would total about $82,000 if fully funded. Camille said monthly TAP collections have averaged about $17,650 recently and that aligning application windows with neighboring jurisdictions will help spot cross‑applications and awards.

Council members and staff described two recurring problems: (1) applicants seeking money from multiple local TAP programs for the same expenses, and (2) incomplete or vague applications that make vetting difficult. Camille said the application form was updated to ask whether applicants had applied to other entities and to request more budget detail and receipts for eligible expenses.

“I did go to both the county and Heber meetings,” Camille said, summarizing rules in those jurisdictions: Heber requires applicants be Heber residents and the county requires matching funds and a budget template. Council members noted Midway’s rules are less prescriptive, which may attract applicants who seek multiple awards for the same event.

Several council members suggested procedural changes rather than new policy: pre‑screening or a staff rubric to grade incoming applications, clearer language on eligible costs (for example, whether scholarships or salaries are allowable), and flagging questionable line items before council sees the packet. Camille proposed a draft scoring rubric that weights demonstrated community need and benefits more heavily than budget form alone.

Applicants who spoke during the meeting emphasized the program’s role in starting and sustaining local events. One event organizer who has run a plarn/carving event for several years described first financing the event personally, then using city TAP support to grow attendance and accommodation use in the area. The speaker urged the council to prioritize Midway‑based events and noted that some tourism dollars go to Heber resorts rather than Midway businesses.

The council asked staff to: (a) redact personal contact details before posting applications online, (b) include a clear applicant notice that application materials (except personal contact details) are public records, (c) pilot a staff review and scoring rubric in advance of the Tuesday work meeting, and (d) consider whether unspent TAP funds should be earmarked for defined city projects (for example, trails) instead of being treated only as annual discretionary grants.

What’s next: the council will receive the incoming applications and the staff‑scored packets at the next work meeting, and members said they expect to refine the rubric and eligibility language after reviewing the first batch.