San Angelo council tables $69,000 HOT allocations after debate over scoring

The City Council on Nov. 18 tabled a staff recommendation to distribute $69,000 in hotel‑occupancy‑tax (HOT) funds among local arts and tourism groups after significant council discussion about scoring and transparency.

Parks & Recreation Director Carl White presented the recommended allocations — including $17,300 for San Angelo Broadway Academy, $16,700 for San Angelo Symphony, $16,100 for San Angelo Ballet and $14,800 for San Angelo Civic Theater — and explained the scoring process that produced this year's awards. Several council members expressed surprise that some organizations, notably the Symphony, received materially smaller awards than in prior years; the Symphony’s prior award was cited in the meeting packet as $25,000.

“To me, it looks more like a penalty than anything else,” Mayor Tom Thompson said of the Symphony’s reduced allocation. Council members asked staff to provide the full underlying application materials and the scoring rubric; council discussion emphasized that ‘heads‑in‑beds’ (how many hotel rooms an event generates) should be a clear and prominent scoring factor.

Tina Dierski, finance director, said the city has funds available in the HOT account and that raising awards to prior levels would require a budget amendment but was feasible. Staff and council agreed they would prefer a clearer, more transparent rubric and possibly restoring prior‑year levels for organizations that saw a drop in their allocation during this transition year.

Mayor Thompson moved to table the HOT item and return it on the consent docket after staff prepares options to bring those entities back to prior‑year levels or otherwise address council direction; the motion carried 7‑0.

What’s next: Staff will circulate the scoring criteria and background material, calculate any budget amendment required, and return the item at a future meeting for formal action.