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Committee questions using transient room tax transfers to shore up harbor budget
Summary
Members discussed large transfers from transient room tax (TRT) and urban renewal funds into the harbor budget and asked staff to clarify what transfers are proposed and why; staff said transfers are budgeted to avoid a projected deficit if fuel revenues fall short.
Committee members asked whether transfers from the transient room tax (TRT) or urban renewal funds should be used to pay for harbor maintenance or to replace the fuel surcharge revenue.
Liz (S1) called attention to a line in the draft indicating transfers (she cited $2,300,000 as a figure shown in the packet during the discussion) and asked whether the harbor should instead be more self-supporting. Kim (S2) explained that the transfers in the draft are budgeted to make the harbor whole when expenditures exceed fuel and user-fee income: without transfers the harbor would show a negative balance in the draft. Several councilors pushed staff for a scenario that excludes TRT transfers so the committee can compare the harbor’s stand-alone performance to the version that uses TRT to cover shortfalls.
