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Committee approves hotel/motel grant reports and allocations, flags ordinance language on school funding
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Summary
The Pryor budget committee approved several Hotel/Motel final expense reports and recommended allocations — including $32,025.29 (40%) to the Pryor Area Chamber, $16,012.65 (20%) to Pryor schools and $8,006.32 (10%) to Pryor Main Street — while noting the city ordinance specifically references Band Day and may need amending to allow different school uses.
The Pryor City budget committee approved a series of hotel/motel grant final expense reports and recommended a proposed distribution of hotel/motel tax revenues. The chair presented a breakdown: Pryor Area Chamber of Commerce 40% ($32,025.29), Pryor public schools 20% ($16,012.65) and Pryor Main Street 10% ($8,006.32). A motion to recommend the allocation was made, seconded and passed.
Committee members asked how the schools would use their $16,012.65 because the municipal code specifically references "Band Day" (also referred to in the transcript as "Band Aid"). One member said the schools now use funds for hospitality rooms and other visitor-related expenses; staff advised that if the intended use differs from the ordinance language, the code will need to be amended. The committee recorded that an ordinance amendment would be required for any formal change to the designated use.
The committee also approved individual final expense reports: Pryor Main Street’s 2023–24 final expense report, an Oklahoma Freedom Flight event (Extravaganza) in the amount of $5,000 and a $1,300 report from Pryor Area Arts & Humanities for the Missoula Children's Theatre production. One committee member raised concern that some hotel tax dollars paid for lodging in Tulsa rather than Pryor; staff said receipts showed the lodging had indeed occurred in Tulsa.
These approvals were procedural recommendations to the council and do not change the ordinance; any alteration to the way school funds are used will require a formal amendment of the municipal code before a different use can be authorized.
