Council asks LTAC to re‑review lodging‑tax recommendations after debate over operations, Surf & Slide funding and MLIRD request
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Summary
Council reviewed LTAC’s 2026 lodging tax recommendations and directed staff to ask LTAC to re‑evaluate certain requests with more project detail, while signaling support for event‑staffing help and partial operational support for Surf and Slide.
Moses Lake City Council reviewed the lodging tax advisory committee’s (LTAC) 2026 funding recommendations and directed staff to return a revised package to the LTAC committee for re‑consideration with clarifying information.
LTAC received 38 applications (37 eligible) requesting about $1.405 million; LTAC recommended awarding $779,612 and placing about $320,388 into the 15% future capital carve‑out. City management proposed amending the committee’s recommendations to use some of the carve‑out this year to reduce pressure on the city’s general fund, specifically adding funding for staff support of special events ($40,000) and allocating a portion of the remainder back to operations at city tourism facilities (Surf and Slide water park and the museum). LTAC’s committee had declined four requests (including Surf and Slide operations, museum operations, Spring Festival bathroom remodel and an MLIRD water‑quality request) because of eligibility concerns or insufficient project detail.
Council debated policy questions: whether LTAC funds should be used to pay city staff time for event support, whether museum operations qualify as a tourism‑promotion use, and whether MLIRD’s lake‑quality request warranted funding in the absence of a detailed project budget. Staff and council noted Surf and Slide generates significant out‑of‑town visitation; staff cited a facility analytics figure for the 2025 season, identifying a large portion of visitors from beyond 50 miles.
Council directed staff to take the following approach back to LTAC for final recommendation and to return to council: 1) LTAC should be asked to re‑consider the MLIRD request if MLIRD provides a project‑specific budget explaining the intended use (for example: a harvester purchase or a lake‑quality capital project); 2) LTAC should evaluate funding for event staffing up to $40,000 to help defray overtime/extra staffing costs for events; 3) council signaled support for funding Surf and Slide operations at about $200,000 but did not approve the museum operations request from LTAC for 2026; and 4) any residual LTAC capital carve‑out would remain small after the changes and staff will present a revised allocation to LTAC.
Council asked staff to return the revised package to LTAC for its recommendation and to bring a final funding package back to council for formal approval. Staff said future cycles will include more structured budget worksheets and clearer project descriptions to improve LTAC’s ability to evaluate requests.
The motion preserves LTAC’s advisory role and asks for additional detail for MLIRD; council did not unilaterally appropriate the carve‑out funds but asked for a revised LTAC recommendation.
