Chehalis Lodging Tax Funds Updated After Accounting Concerns; Approval By Council Expected At Next Meeting

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The Chehalis City Council received an update at its meeting Monday on the state of its lodging tax funds, and recommendations for how to spend the money. The council plans to vote on the recommendations at a later meeting. 

The recommendations from the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee were adjusted after the budget committee determined if used funds from last year’s funds would roll over to this year, which was a source of concern at the city’s Sept. 28 meeting.

LTAC revenues projected at the last council meeting totaled $246,600 and the updated projected revenue is $219,500.

The city’s finance director, Chun Saul, clarified that unused funds cannot carry over from year to year. The recommended allocations to the organizations were adjusted since the previous meeting’s recommendations. 

The organizations that requested a portion of the LTAC funds: ARTrails (requested: $5,000, recommended: $2,500), Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce (requested: $50,000, recommended: $35,000), Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum (requested: $50,000, recommended: $40,000), Chehalis Community Renaissance Team (requested: $32,900, recommended: $32,500), City of Chehalis — RV park restrooms (requested: $20,000, recommended: $0), City of Chehalis — youth athletic tournaments (requested: $20,000, recommended: $15,000), Lewis County Historical Museum (requested: $45,000, recommended: $35,000), Veterans Memorial Museum (requested: $30,000, recommended: $25,000) — totaling $185,000 in recommended LTAC funds.



About $70,000 was set aside for the annual debt service payment on the Recreation Park Improvement Project. The staff recommendations will be sent back to the LTAC for review and comment and then brought back to the council for additional adjustments before it’s put to a vote.

A reserve of $50,000 is set aside from the total revenues for city projects and activities that may come up throughout the year.

The council voted to reappoint the following members to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee: Todd Chaput with the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Gloria Choi with OYO Hotel, Trent Henning with Riverside Golf Club, Executive Director of Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce Alicia Bull, Rick Burchett with the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum and Chip Duncan with the Veterans Memorial Museum.