The process of Centralia and Chehalis City Councils distributing lodging tax revenues they’ve collected to local nonprofits and tourism-oriented groups for use during 2019 has yet to produce the sort of fissure that erupted between the Centralia council and the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce last season.
Alicia Bull, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, deemed it “a statement of non-support” earlier this year when Centralia councilors voted to follow a recommendation made by the city’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee and fund half of the chamber’s $40,000 request.
The disagreement spilled into February, culminating in a public apology from Centralia Mayor Lee Coumbs to Bull and a member of the chamber board of directors for harsh language used after a meeting.
Bull and the Chamber of Commerce have already been granted the full $40,000 they asked for from Chehalis, the same amount the city awarded them a year ago. The chamber has asked Centralia for that amount again this year, according to a list of applications submitted by the August deadline. With nine organizations asking for a total of $204,500 and only $117,000 available for tourism grants, something has to give.
The amount of money in the pot does not include $133,000 in requests for LTAC funds made by the city, including $40,000 related to the $1 million loan it gave towards restoration of the Fox Theatre.
“All of the organizations are looking for money now, and some feel like they deserve more than others,” LTAC chair and city councilor Susan Luond said. “I hope this year we will be fair in our distribution of the money. I don’t know what will happen, because I only have one (of five) votes.”
Luond is new to the committee this year, as she replaced Mayor Pro-tem Max Vogt as the city council representative among the group that also includes two members of the Centralia business community and two people from organizations that can receive LTAC funds.
She was a vocal advocate of the chamber last year and argued for it to receive all $40,000 it asked for despite the LTAC committee refusing to change its recommendation even after the council asked them to take a second look.
Bull did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
“All through the 40 years I’ve worked in this area, every business I’ve worked for has supported the Chamber of Commerce as it’s done a great job,” Luond said. “I personally don’t understand why they were underfunded and I’m hoping this year the committee will take a fair look at that. I think people thought the Chamber had complained to me, but they hadn’t. It was me that complained to the council because I didn’t understand it.”
When the Centralia LTAC committee will convene to hear from applicants and discuss how to divide the money still remains to be seen. They’re shooting for early November, but have yet to settle on a date. That hearing will be open to the public.
Another item sure to generate discussion during the process will be a total of $25,000 requested by Discover Lewis County and the Southwest Washington Fair. The Council funded all but $500 of a $10,000 ask from Discover Lewis County last year despite concerns raised by Luond and others about funding county-sponsored groups at the expense of more hyperlocal entities.
The Southwest Washington Fair is asking for $15,000, double the amount it requested from Centralia a year ago. That application was denied, as was the $10,000 it asked for this year from Chehalis, which also denied a $10,000 request from Discover Lewis County.
Chehalis Mayor Pro-tem Terry Harris sits on his town’s LTAC committee and explained following a city council meeting Monday that the Chehalis committee was concerned the county was reducing funding for the fair in particular and trying to make up for it with LTAC money.
Lewis County Central Services Director Steve Walton presented to the Chehalis LTAC committee earlier this month on behalf of fair manager Tamara Hayes, who also oversees Discover Lewis County. He said the county has received no feedback as to why it was denied funding.
“The reason we asked for fair money this time is that we thought the fair is one of the largest single events to occur in Lewis County,” Walton said. “The funds would have been used to promote the fair and extend our boundaries outside the county with the intent to draw visitors to the area, hopefully to use local lodging facilities and eat at local restaurants. It’s our belief that we all benefit, including the cities, from having people come to the fair, but it’s the city’s prerogative as to how they want to spend their money.”
Organizations that did receive funding from Chehalis include Friends of the Chehalis Community Renaissance, which got $46,000, and the Lewis County Historical Museum, which claimed $40,000. The Chehalis-Centralia Railroad Museum received $35,000, the Veterans Memorial Museum garnered $30,000 and the Chehalis Wedding Show was awarded $12,345.
The Shaw Aquatic Center received $82,000 of its $100,000 ask towards a new liner for the pool there.
Other applications for Centralia LTAC funds include the Centralia Downtown Association, which is asking for $76,500, and a $45,000 request from the Downtown Centralia Festivals Association. ARTrails of Southwest Washington is asking for $18,000.
