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LTAC denies Ocean Shores Hospitality Collaborative request, urges pilot program and clearer metrics
Summary
The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee denied a $150,000 request from the Ocean Shores Hospitality Collaborative, citing concerns about nonprofit status, measurable outcomes and scope. Members suggested a smaller pilot, legal guidance and clearer performance metrics before future funding is considered.
The City of Ocean Shores Lodging Tax Advisory Committee voted Nov. 3 to deny the Ocean Shores Hospitality Collaborative’s funding request after prolonged discussion about eligibility, scale and measurable outcomes.
Shannon (LTAC member) recused herself from the vote because a staff member who works for her (Lauren) was involved in the proposal. Multiple committee members expressed support for the concept — customer service and hospitality training for frontline workers — but said the request as submitted was too large, lacked clear, measurable metrics and the applicant was not a 501(c)(3) at the time of application.
Why it was denied: Committee members cited three primary concerns: (1) nonprofit status and formal eligibility — the applicant did not hold 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status when the application was considered; (2) scale and budget — the request ($150,000 as submitted) was viewed as large for a training pilot without demonstrated outcomes; and (3) measurement — members asked for tangible metrics tied to tourism outcomes (for example, lift in average daily rate, repeat-visitor metrics, or documented improvements in online reviews tied to training interventions).
Committee direction: Members asked the applicant to consider a scaled pilot (for one hotel and one restaurant or a similarly limited cohort), to return with clear success metrics and a timeline, and to provide documentation of nonprofit status if applicable. Staff was asked to obtain legal guidance on eligibility and to consider whether any surplus funds might be used to seed a small pilot in 2026.
Vote: Motion to deny the Hospitality Collaborative request carried. The committee encouraged re-submission with a smaller, measurable pilot and requested staff guidance on eligibility and tracking of outcomes.
Sources: meeting transcript of the City of Ocean Shores Lodging Tax Advisory Committee special meeting, Nov. 3, 2025.
