College Place LTAC lowers reserve to 15% and recommends $81,600 in grants to City Council

The College Place Lodging Tax Advisory Committee voted Nov. 6 to reduce its reserve from 20% to 15% and approved a set of 2026 funding recommendations that the City Council will consider as a single package.

The committee moved to lower the reserve — a contingency held against shortfalls in fourth-quarter lodging-tax receipts — after staff said the change would increase available allocations by about $4,800 to roughly $81,595. Committee members noted College Place uses single-year grants (unlike some nearby programs that issue two‑year awards) and framed the reserve as protection against lower-than-forecast revenue during October–December, which staff estimated at about $14,219.

The advisory body approved the following recommended grants to forward to City Council as one package: City of College Place Freedom Festival — $18,000; City event marketing (content library/photography/vendor recruitment) — $9,000; Fort Walla Walla Museum — $7,000; Powerhouse Theater — $15,500; Visit Walla Walla — $15,000; Downtown College Place Association — $16,100; City Fall Festival — $0 (not funded by the committee); Walla Walla Movie Crush — $1,000. The committee noted that City Council must approve or deny the entire package as submitted.

Committee discussion focused on three main issues: the tradeoff between holding reserves for revenue risk and making more funds available for awards; how to treat applications from city-run events versus outside organizations (including a new downtown association); and the completeness and tourism impact of applicant budgets. Staff and commissioners cited the committee’s historical 20% reserve, Walla Walla’s 15% reserve for comparison, and the fact that College Place has only issued single‑year grants, which reduces reserve exposure tied to multiyear commitments.

Members questioned several applications’ budgets and tourism assumptions. Commissioners flagged inconsistencies in the College Place event-marketing application’s projected lodging figures and noted the downtown association’s application included line-item and total-budget irregularities; staff said the downtown group’s original ask had been $20,000 and some application numbers reflected draft entries. The Walla Walla Movie Crush request drew particular scrutiny because the applicant operates as a for‑profit enterprise and submitted a budget the committee considered incomplete; the committee reduced that request to $1,000.

The committee confirmed that awarded grants are generally reimbursable: organizations expend funds, submit reimbursement forms, and receive payment after documentation. Members noted that if an awarded project does not claim or spend its allocation, those dollars are not paid out. The advisory body also agreed to revisit reserve policy and the city-versus-outside allocation approach in future cycles and signaled openness to setting a flexible percentage or a specific program‑focused allocation in later years.

The committee’s votes were conducted by voice; members present at roll call — Boyle, Owens, Snell, Baumann, Leisure and Peterson — voted in favor of the reserve change and the final funding package. The City Council will consider the recommendations as part of the city budget process and may accept or reject the package in its entirety.

Next steps: staff will prepare the recommendation packet and supporting materials for City Council review and post any required public notices or follow-up documentation for awarded applicants.