By Marcy Stamper
The Okanogan County commissioners have merged the two committees that advise them about how to distribute taxes on lodging to attract more tourists to the county.
The commissioners adopted a resolution establishing the combined committee, which will be known as the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC), on Dec. 30.
After hearing from representatives of the two groups — the previous incarnation of LTAC and the Marketing Board — and reviewing state law, the commissioners decided to create a single committee to evaluate applications from nonprofits (such as concert organizers, visitors’ information centers, and antique car shows) for grants to market their activities. The nonprofits must match the grants with their own expenditures on advertising.
The new seven-member committee consists of one “collector” (someone from a hotel or motel who collects the 2-percent tax on lodging) and one “receiver” (someone from a nonprofit that uses these funds to attract tourists to their events) from each of the county’s three districts. In addition, one of the county commissioners will have a seat on the board.
The change follows a recommendation by state auditors that the board be composed equally of collectors and receivers of the lodging tax. That recommendation came after a routine 2013 audit of the county.
LTAC, which will have its first meeting at the end of this month, has about $500,000 to distribute among qualifying nonprofits. That amount is what remains after a payment on the construction bond for the Agri-Plex is deducted, according to Laleña Johns, clerk of the board of commissioners.
In the past, the money was divided evenly between the former LTAC, which dispensed money to nonprofits, and the Marketing Board, which split its portion between Methow Trails, for trail maintenance, and the Okanogan County Tourism Council, which advertises the entire county through brochures, maps and an online presence. Now Methow Trails and the tourism council will have to compete for funds with all the other nonprofits, said Johns.
The tourism-promotion funds have sometimes been called the “first 2 percent” (for the money given nonprofits) and the “second 2 percent” (for the money given to the tourism council and trails association).
Following a change in state law in 2013, nonprofits seeking tourism grants must provide documentation showing that people come from more than 50 miles away and spend the night to attend their events. Applicants must also provide estimates of how the money will increase the number of tourists.
Those requirements have been a challenge for some of the smaller groups, according to staff of nonprofits that have traditionally applied for the funding.
One of the first tasks on LTAC’s agenda will be to score the 23 applications for the tourism grants.
Several members of the newly constituted LTAC served on the former board, but some are new in the advisory role. The representatives from District 2, which includes the Methow Valley, are Steve Devin, owner of the Mazama Ranch House, as a collector; and Melanie Wyss, with the Brewster Chamber of Commerce, as a receiver.
The commissioners are still looking for a representative from a lodging facility in District 1. Ray Campbell will represent the commissioners.
Fairgrounds bathrooms on hold
The commissioners have taken other actions to restructure the county’s tourism and recreation programs. Last year they disbanded the county’s Parks and Recreation Board, which managed the Okanogan County fair, replacing it with a committee specifically devoted to the fair. The fair board has been meeting regularly over the past several months.
Another matter still unresolved from last year is the funding of an application by the old Parks and Recreation Board for a new bathroom facility at the county fairgrounds. The board requested $93,000, which would have supplemented a $50,000 grant to build a bathhouse with showers and a laundry for campers.
Several members of the previous LTAC board had questioned whether the bathrooms would fulfill the requirement to show a return on investment, but the county commissioners approved the grant.
But the bathroom project never got off the ground, since the county received only one bid to build the bathrooms and it came in at more than twice the original estimate, said Johns. The commissioners decided not to award the contract and plan to revisit and probably scale back the design, she said.
The state auditors had suggested more scrutiny of the bathroom project. “We also recommend that the County consider working with the 2015 Lodging Tax Advisory Committee members to ensure that the previously-approved Fairgrounds restroom project meets the strategic and long-term goals of the County and interested parties,” they wrote.
The recommendations were provided in a list of “exit items,” the least serious of three levels of feedback in a state audit, according to Jake Santistevan, assistant audit manager for the Wenatchee region.
The commissioners will be creating a new Parks and Recreation Board to advise them on broader recreational matters throughout the county. They had begun scheduling appointments with citizens interested in serving on the board last year, but that process was interrupted by the summer’s wildfires, said Johns. The commissioners plan to start interviews this month, she said.
