TRT committee recommends funding mix; board members split on Bear Lake State Park launch-ramp request
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Summary
A county Transient Room Tax committee recommended funding most of the requested projects in the TRT cycle but split over a key state park launch-ramp request, with committee members noting matching funds and visitor impact as primary selection criteria.
Tammy and members of the county’s transient-room-tax (TRT) review committee presented their recommendations after reviewing applications that totaled about $1,367,345. The committee recommended funding approximately $1,266,157 of that total, prioritizing projects with matching funds and clear visitor impacts.
Committee members said they used a scoring rubric and gave higher priority to projects that showed matching funds and direct visitor benefit; examples include funding for community events and park infrastructure. The TRT committee scaled back some items (notably some Trails Board training/conference requests) where projects were judged to be farther from construction-ready or heavily focused on travel rather than in-county infrastructure.
One of the most contested items was a Bear Lake State Park request to reconstruct four launch lanes on the older side of the marina. Committee members discussed whether the state park — which remits transient-room tax revenue to the county — should receive TRT funding because the state arguably has other funding avenues; the board’s discussion was lengthy and ended without unanimity. Tammy summarized that the TRT committee vote on the park request was not unanimous and required lengthy deliberation.
Commissioners did not appropriate TRT funds on the spot; the recommendations will be incorporated into the county’s upcoming budget and follow any statutory or programmatic requirements for TRT disbursement. The TRT committee and county staff will provide the packet of recommended allocations to the budget process; applicants will be notified by staff of recommended awards and required matches.
