Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tourism Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council backs LTAC awards, debates Surf and Slide capital request and $320,000 set‑aside
Summary
Council reviewed Lodging Tax Advisory Committee recommendations, agreed to approve uncontested awards and to bank about $320,000 for future tourism-related capital projects; LTAC recommended against several operational funding requests and suggested Surf and Slide receive capital (not operations) funding if resubmitted with clearer scope.
The Moses Lake City Council reviewed recommendations from the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) on funding requests for tourism and events, accepting the LTAC’s list for approval while leaving three contested items in limbo for resubmission.
Parks and Recreation Director Doug Coutts said LTAC opted not to fund three items it viewed as insufficiently tourism-related or lacking detail: $75,000 requested by the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District, $40,000 requested for city staff special events, and operations funding for Surf and Slide. LTAC recommended, by contrast, supporting $200,000 toward Surf and Slide capital improvements — specifically prioritizing replacement of aging shallow-end features — but noted those funds would be contingent on project scope and compliance with lodging-tax rules.
Coutts and councilors emphasized the legal limits on LTAC and council authority under the lodging tax statute: LTAC forwards recommendations drawn from applicants and council approves amounts and recipients; changing an application’s purpose (for example, from operations to capital) may not be legally permissible without reapplication. Staff said the city attorney could review whether requested changes to application purpose are allowable.
Council discussed whether to return the questioned applications to LTAC for clarification, to seek ballpark cost estimates for Surf and Slide improvements (staff mentioned a not-yet-allocated ballpark figure around $320,000 had been discussed), and how to structure a local-government application process so funds in a tourism capital set‑aside could be actively used rather than sit idle. A motion was made to approve LTAC’s recommended awards as presented and to pursue resubmission or further review of the contested items; council approved the motion.
