Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City manager explains hotel‑motel tax transfers and budget at tourism board meeting
Summary
City manager Mike briefed the Convention Tourism Board on hotel/motel tax revenue (estimated $700,000) and explained transfers in the adopted city budget, including a $331,000 transfer to the golf course and $140,000 transferred to general fund line items; he emphasized the board is advisory and denied an embezzlement allegation.
City manager Mike presented the board with a budget overview focused on the hotel/motel (bed) tax and how those revenues are used in the city’s budget.
Mike said the hotel/motel tax is collected at 8 cents per dollar and that the city estimated approximately $700,000 in revenue this year. He described several transfers in the adopted budget: $331,000 was transferred to the golf course and $140,000 was listed as transfers out to the general fund for items such as Main Street and OPSU-related expenses. Mike explained these transfers were part of the adopted city budget and that the board’s role is to make recommendations rather than control funds: "This board is just a recommendation board... You don't control the funds." He added that transfers are a long‑standing municipal practice and denied any suggestion of wrongdoing when a referenced golf board member asked whether $331,000 had been embezzled: "So there's no embezzling. There ain't nothing."
Mike walked through fund‑balance and process details: a fund balance of roughly $2.1 million was noted in materials, the board’s discretionary recommendation total was cited at $131,775, and he said staff vetting and city council adoption are required for final appropriations. He offered to meet with board members to review budget details and encouraged members to raise questions earlier in the budget cycle.
Why it matters: the discussion clarified how tourism‑related taxes feed into broader city budgeting decisions and why some large transfers can appear in the convention/tourism fund even when final expenditures are handled through the general fund and council action.
What happens next: Mike said staff will vet recommendations and include items in the council budget packet; the board is scheduled to meet next on April 17.
