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Lancaster council approves accommodations tax grants; Councilmember Miller recuses
Summary
The Lancaster City Council approved Resolution 25-18 to award accommodations (hotel) tax grants after the accommodations committee reviewed six applications and found four eligible; Councilmember Miller recused from the vote. Staff said recipients will receive checks and must submit receipts for reimbursement.
The Lancaster City Council on Monday approved Resolution 25-18, authorizing the awarding of accommodations (ATAX) grants recommended by the city’s accommodations committee. Councilmember Hood moved the resolution and it passed on a roll-call vote; Councilmember Miller announced he would recuse himself from the matter.
The grants process and eligibility were laid out by Miss Roddy, who told the council that six organizations applied and two were found ineligible under state guidelines. “So we had 6 different groups that apply. Two of them did not meet the requirements based from the accommodations…They do not comply with what the guidelines were,” Miss Roddy said, explaining how the committee reviewed applications and itemized budgets before recommending awards. She added that Lancaster itself did not request a grant and the city set aside $8,000 for advertising support to help local nonprofits promote events.
A staff member described how the funding is sourced and distributed. “The money comes from all the accommodations, hotels, motels, and the state,” the staff member said, and outlined the formula used for allocation, noting that an initial $25,000 goes to the general fund and portions are designated for commission/grant purposes and special advertising.
Miss Roddy said the city has already received the funds and explained how recipients will be paid: “We’ll cut them a check and then they’ll have to provide me with receipts,” she said. The council approved the resolution during the meeting; Councilmember Miller told the council, “I have to recuse myself,” before the roll call was completed.
The resolution does not specify individual award amounts in the council discussion transcript beyond noting one correction to a requested amount (an applicant’s requested amount should have been $25,442), and Miss Roddy said she or her office will handle disbursement and follow-up reporting. The council moved on to other business after the vote.
