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Commissioners signal short-term continuity for municipal rec grants while reviewing long-term TRCC priorities
Summary
Staff told commissioners COVID-19 has reduced TRT/TRCC revenues and left the TRCC exposed by convention-center bond payments; commissioners instructed staff to proceed with the same rec-grant amount this year but to notify cities the program's long-term structure and eligibility will be reevaluated.
Ezra Nair of the Utah County Commission Office told commissioners the Tourism Tax Advisory Board recommended a modest reduction in municipal recreation grant funding and that COVID-19 has significantly reduced TRT and TRCC revenue. Nair said convention-center bond payments are being paid with a portion of TRT and noted state law currently limits using more than one-third of that fund for the bond payment, creating roughly a $1.5 million exposure to TRCC.
Nair offered two policy options: 1) allow municipalities to roll forward unspent TRCC allocations this year to delay spending pressure on the fund; and 2) exclude Provo from the municipal recreation grant pool on the rationale that Provo already benefits from other county-funded regional projects. He warned both options require deliberation and noted the tourism-tax advisory board’s ranking system has changed allocation formulas.
Commissioners debated the purpose of rec grants and whether the fund should prioritize large regional projects that benefit the whole county rather than small municipal grants. Some commissioners argued small, predictable municipal payments are important to smaller cities; others said the county’s priority should be regionally significant projects that attract residents from throughout the county.
After extended discussion, commissioners indicated staff should proceed this year with the same overall grant amount and distribution process used previously, but to include notification to cities that the long-term program structure and future funding are under review. Nair added the county’s lobbyist is pursuing legislative relief that could allow greater TRT flexibility for bond payments in an upcoming session.
