Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the RAPZ And Restaurant Tax topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cache County approves $4.69M in RAPZ and restaurant-tax awards, boosts theater grant after amendment
Summary
Council approved recommended RAPZ and restaurant tax allocations totaling $4.69 million, including an amendment to raise the Logan Community Foundation / Cache Theatre Company award from $50,000 to $100,000; the amendment passed 6–1 and the final package passed 7–0.
Cache County’s council on Tuesday approved the panel’s 2026 recommendations for Recreation, Arts, Parks and Zoo (RAPZ) and restaurant-tax grants, directing roughly $4.69 million to local projects and events.
Grant Administrator Alma Burgess told the council there were 89 applications seeking about $6.8 million; staff recommended $4.69 million in awards. The council debated a proposed amendment from Vice Chair Kathryn Beus to increase Item 47 — the Logan Community Foundation/Cache Theatre Company recommendation — from $50,000 to $100,000 to fund four productions. Councilmember Nolan Gunnell questioned equity across municipalities, while Councilmember David Erickson asked about financial safeguards if a recipient failed to deliver the promised programming.
Beus said the primary enforcement is scoring penalties in subsequent application cycles: groups that fail to deliver see reduced priority the next year. The amendment passed 6–1 (Nolan Gunnell opposed). The council then approved the full RAPZ and restaurant tax recommendations as amended, 7–0.
Burgess flagged that the program favors projects that draw visitors and restaurant spending; councilmembers said the county should do more to publicize local economic benefits amid recent state-level proposals to eliminate the restaurant tax. The staff report lists individual awards, including $450,000 to Logan City Parks & Recreation for Kunzler Trail and smaller awards to cultural and community organizations across the county.
