The City is now Requesting Proposals for the 2019 Lodging Tax Fund:
Proposals for facilities, operations, and products related to tourism promotion are due September 21, 2018 at 5:00 pm. City Council recently passed a resolution guiding the allocation of the Lodging Tax Fund, so please review those allocation changes, as well as other application procedures and requirements in the “2019 Lodging Tax Fund Application Guidelines” located in the below link to teh Bids and RFP's page.
Who May Apply?
The 2019 Lodging Tax funding program is open to non-profit tourism organizations with the demonstrated ability to achieve tourism goals as outlined below.
- Increase hotel occupancy in Port Angeles by creating overnight stays.
- Increase overnight stays during the off season.
- Provide visitor attractions and/or promote the area's existing attractions.
- Attract more businesses to Port Angeles and thereby generate additional business for hotels and motels.
As a result of State Legislative changes made in the 2013 session, all applications must include estimates of how funding the activity will result in increases to people staying overnight, travelling 50 miles or more, or coming from another state or country. To ensure this data is collected, the City is now required to have applicants provide additional information in the lodging tax application.
Selection and Award Process
Funding of the program and specific awards are dependent on recommendations of the City's Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC). The LTAC will receive all applications and recommend a list of candidates and funding levels that will be forwarded to the Port Angeles City Council for final determination. Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis.
The LTAC will review, review, score, and provide a recommendation based upon City Council guided Lodging Tax Fund policies. The weighted scoring system is based on the following criteria:
- Application completeness and appropriateness for LTAC Event Grant funding. (10 pts.)
- Event date in relation to peak tourist season of Mid-June to Mid-September. (20 pts)
- Have a proven or high potential to result in overnight stays by tourists from 50 miles away or more in lodging establishments within the City. (30 pts.)
- Number of individuals attending or anticipated attending from 50 miles or further. (20 pts.)
- Value of event based on grant request and anticipated local revenue and tax generation (20 pts.)
The LTAC and City Council will make awards based on the most competitive applications that meet the criteria for funding outlined in the previous paragraph. Event budget allocation is a part of this process, and event applicants will be notified of the event grant request for proposals only after the Lodging Tax Fund awards have been approved.