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Supervisor Kile proposes using restricted TOT to seed music festival as revenue source to close budget gap
Summary
Supervisor Susan Kile suggested funding a proposed music festival from the restricted transient occupancy tax (TOT) account to help close a projected budget gap; she projected 8,000 attendees and $416,000 in revenue and said the festival budget could be covered from restricted TOT.
Supervisor Susan Kile proposed using restricted transient occupancy tax (TOT) funds to seed a proposed music festival that she said could help close a remaining FY2027 budget gap. Kile asked about the TOT balance and was told by Finance Director Tyler Olsen there is "approximately $2.5 million in the account." Kile said the festival estimate was $300,000 and asserted the festival could return revenue to the county if it drew 8,000 attendees at an average ticket price of $80, estimating "$416,000 in revenue." She characterized the $150,000 already approved as "seed money."
Other board members reacted with both support and caution. Supervisor Jeff Vaughan offered that a Shenandoah manufacturing company might contribute $50,000 in sponsorship; Supervisor Ryan Cubbage warned that "trying to rely on a festival for the first time in May 2027 to makeup a budget deficit is not good practice." The board did not finalize a decision to redirect restricted TOT funds; Supervisor Kile suggested the festival budget could be covered from that account without breaking it.
