Poulsbo LTAC proposes $636,350 in preliminary tourism grants, holds $180k–$183k in reserves

The Poulsbo Lodging Tax Advisory Committee met to set preliminary recommendations for the 2025 tourism grant cycle and produced a proposed funding package that would allocate roughly $636,350 and leave about $180,000–$183,000 in the lodging‑tax reserve.

Lynn Heino, the city's special events coordinator, opened the discussion with the budget picture: "it is projected from the city 2025 revenue from lodging tax that will have $369,000 with some reserves available to utilize, equaling a total of about 455,000," and staff ran a live spreadsheet so committee members could see how different allocations would draw on reserves. Committee chair Councilmember Ed Stern said members should be ready to explain the committee's reserve strategy to council, noting past pushback about large reserves and urging an articulated plan.

The group advanced recommended amounts for 15 applicants, prioritizing operating and marketing lines while avoiding funding of capital projects that state statute constrains. Staff told the committee award letters will specify allowable uses and require data reporting for selected projects. The committee asked staff to finalize formulas and prepare a short statement the chair will read into the council record on Nov. 6 that explains the committee's rationale and intentional reserves strategy.

Next steps: staff will double‑check the spreadsheet formulas, circulate the final draft to committee members for one last review, and present the recommendation to Poulsbo City Council in early November.