Island County approves LTAC awards, adds $10,000 for Whidbey Fair after Main Street appeal

Island County Commissioners on Tuesday approved the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) grant recommendations but amended the awards to include an additional $10,000 for the Whidbey Fair and to redistribute some chamber funding among island towns.

Commissioner St. Clair said LTAC follows an open grant process and scoring. The board chose to add $10,000 to the Whidbey Fair “because [it is] an iconic event for our community,” and moved funds so Langley, Coupeville and Oak Harbor each received $5,000 more after taking $15,000 from a larger chamber allocation. "I recommend moving forward and approving the project awards as presented," St. Clair said before the board voted to approve the amended awards.

The decision followed public comment from Cheryl Grama, representing Oak Harbor Main Street, who asked the board to reconsider LTAC funding for the organization. Grama said local Main Street programs receive both the state Main Street tax‑credit donations and local LTAC funding but that the two support different activities. "It's not a grant and it's not guaranteed," she told the board, describing the state Main Street tax credit program as an incentive that allows private entities to redirect portions of B&O tax payments; she said LTAC funds are what allow visitor‑facing activities such as marketing and event promotion.

Commissioners described the LTAC process as committee‑driven and encouraged organizations that want more funding to engage with LTAC prior to the next funding round. The motion to approve the awards was made and seconded and the board voted in favor.

No formal dollar amounts beyond the $10,000 addition and the $5,000 per town redistribution were recorded on the record for each grant line item during the public meeting discussion.