Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Accommodations Tax topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves accommodations-tax grant package; Aiken Horse Park highlights economic impact
Summary
Council accepted the accommodations-tax committee's $400,000 recommendation for grant awards from roughly 28 applicants and heard a presentation from the Aiken Horse Park Foundation on the park's local economic contribution and requests for continued support.
The Aiken City Council unanimously approved the accommodations-tax committee's funding recommendations March 9, allocating estimated fiscal-year revenue among 28 applicants after the committee applied a state-aligned scoring matrix.
Committee representatives told council they received about $573,000 in requests and estimated about $400,000 in available local accommodations tax revenue for distribution. The committee explained its scoring criteria: tourism draw, expected overnight stays, economic impact on local businesses, and applicant marketing commitments. The committee said applications are scored, averaged, and funded proportionally based on available monies.
Tara Bastwick, chief executive officer of the Aiken Horse Park Foundation (Bruce's Field), told council the foundation is a 501(c)(3) that supports equestrian events that generate substantial local spending. Bastwick said that in 2021 she conservatively estimated a direct impact of about $11,378,000, and that in 2023 Bruce's Field generated roughly 113,000 hotel room nights in Aiken, figures she used to argue for continued support. "We can populate all of those at the same time," Bastwick said, urging the council to maintain funding for facility upkeep and marketing.
Council also approved a first-reading budget amendment that included a $100,000 local-accommodations-tax allocation for the Aiken Horse Park and a $125,000 budget line for large meter replacement in the water/sewer fund. Staff said additional adjustments tied to FEMA reimbursements and downtown hotel redevelopment are expected at a later meeting.
The accommodations-tax committee described eligibility rules in detail: applicants must be a 501(c)(3) or partner with one, show marketing investment and projected economic impact, and demonstrate how events will attract tourists under state guidance. The city will publish the committee's scoring and award package in the agenda packet.
Council accepted the committee's recommendation unanimously by voice vote.
