Lodging Panel Approves, Tables and Denies Funding Requests

The Prowers County Lodging Tax Panel held a relatively brief monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 17^th to discuss funding requests that had been submitted to them for approval.

An earlier $1,000 pledge to the Rural Philanthropy Days event, set for mid-June in Lamar was approved, but the full amount requested, an additional $3,800 was denied.

Two earlier requests that had been tabled were continued into the May 15^th meeting.  Panel members were advised that additional quarterly funding from the state should have been received by that point.  One request was from Jacob Holdren, representing Holly Gateway Classics, scheduled for the second annual event this September.  Last year, the Panel approved requested funding for $3,000.  However, this year, Holdren is requesting $10,350 to bring a car show and musical acts to the Town of Holly.

The other tabled request was for $5,000 for marketing and advertising expenses from Trevor LaCost, representing a first-time event for Lamar, the 2018 Downtown Custom & Classic Expo which is planned for this August. This too, will bring a car show, vendors and a variety of music acts to the downtown Lamar area.

The Panel denied a funding request from Jenna Davis for the FFA Career Development Event Contest held at Lamar Community College. Although an estimated 800 students attended the event this past year, the funding request for 2019 does not fall within the by-laws by which the Panel is guided.  Tangible items, ranging from commemorative coffee cups to signs and banners or tee shirts are not allowed to be funded.  Only contract fees, marketing and advertising costs can be funded by the 2% motel room sales tax revenue which is received by the Panel each quarter.

Panel members acknowledged that their current budgeted funding is somewhat tightly restricted this year, due in part to larger requests from local event organizers and some that are made earlier on the calendar year, sometimes by as much as six or seven months ahead of a scheduled event. The Panel also has to justify their funding for these events by the number of motel rooms that will be booked in Prowers County by those attending the events.  Panel members will take steps to point out that those groups who receive funding are expected to provide a detailed report on the number of motel rooms their event develops and receipts on how the funding was spent.

By Russ Baldwin