Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lodging Tax topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Federal Way council approves consent agenda including lodging-tax grants and Pacific Raceways funding
Summary
Council approved the consent agenda unanimously, including multiple lodging-tax tourism enhancement grants for local events and the Pacific Raceways full-season grant after questions about documentation of hotel impacts; Pacific Raceways reported 647 room nights in 2025 and committed staff to track heads-in-beds.
The Federal Way City Council approved its consent agenda May 5, passing a package of routine items and several lodging-tax tourism enhancement grants for events and organizations serving visitors.
Council president (speaker 8) moved to approve consent items a–l and n, with item m (a lodging-tax grant for Pacific Raceways) pulled for separate discussion. After a brief question-and-answer session with John Ramsey (speaker 35), general manager of Pacific Raceways, council approved item m in a separate vote; council members described the vote as unanimous.
Ramsey said Pacific Raceways draws competitors and fans from across the Pacific Northwest and that Federal Way-area hotels are commonly used by attendees. He told the council Pacific Raceways recorded "647 room nights in 2025" tied to its large Northwest Nationals event and said the organization has assigned staff to document hotel stays to support lodging-tax reporting moving forward.
Other consent items approved included lodging-tax grants for local festivals, viewing parties, and destination-marketing projects, as listed on the meeting agenda. Council members discussed appropriate oversight of grant uses and asked that staff ensure projects meet the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee’s criteria.
Next steps: Staff will proceed with the grants and the recommended lodging-tax advisory committee plan; council indicated readiness to continue oversight at future meetings.
