Questions and Concerns about Tourism Funding

After the Tuesday, January 13 Board of County Commissioners meeting, I took the criteria Ken Wilson testified the LTAC had used to evaluate each application for grant approval in 2010. The five criteria were: "heads in beds", preferred date of event (Oct thru April), budget driven documentation, advertise out of county, and marketing plan.

I used these criteria to review the 2010 and 2009 application. I also reviewed the 2008 accomplishment reports against these criteria. I wasn't able to detect any consistent pattern showing that Mr Wilson's stated criteria had influenced the recommendations.

My conclusion is that Mason County needs a set procedure for the LTAC grant approval process for 2011 and that it should be folded into the budget development process and public hearing held the first Monday in December.

I've been told that at the meeting on January 26, the public will not be allowed to ask questions. I've asked Commissioner Gallagher to ask the following questions on my behalf since I won't be allowed to speak at the LTAC meeting.

1. In the Olympic Peninsula Loop Culinary Tour the application indicates they are applying for 501c(6) status in 2010. Isn't 501c(3) or 501c(6) status required for funding? This organization received funds in 2009 also.

2. When is the Olympic Peninsula Loop Culinary Tour scheduled to occur? I can't find the dates in the application.

3. Both Mr. Wilson and Mr. Frank Kinney are members of the board for the Olympic Peninsula Loop Culinary Tour. Will they both abstain from voting on this particular application?

4. Please ask the North Mason Chamber of Commerce and the Joint Tourism Board to provide additional detail on how the budget will be spent and performance indicators so that the public will know what we can expect for the grant funding provided.

5. Please ask both Chambers of Commerce and the Joint Tourism Board to explain how they gathered the actual data reported for the 2008 grant funding. How is it that one chamber reports that 45% of visitors will stay overnight in Mason County while another reports only 10%? Such a disparity in overnight stays requires additional research into underlying assumptions or means of calculation.

6. Why is an event given 2010 grant funding when that event did not provide an expenditure report for 2008? This report was due in May 2009. Shouldn't this be a condition of receiving grant funding in following years?

7. All applicants should be asked what other lodging tax dollars they are due to receive from other municipalities in 2010.

8. Would the sponsors of the website "Explore Hood Canal" provide a clear statement that the website is funded by Hotel/Motel Tax dollars? For that matter this should be a given that all recipients of grant money will clearly declare that funding was received from public revenue.