Lodging Tax Advisory Committee

Port Townsend Lodging Tax Advisory Committee’s (LTAC’s) vision of sustainable tourism is to reinvest community resources to enhance the lives of both residents and visitors.

About Lodging Tax

Under Washington State RCW 67.28, the City of Port Townsend and Jefferson County have the ability to levy lodging taxes, also known as “hotel/motel taxes,” on all charges for furnishing lodging at hotels, motels, and short-term rentals – including government and non-government housing and lodging accommodations where overnight stays are less than 30 days. Lodging tax is collected as a sales tax, and the revenues must be used for eligible tourism promotion activities or tourism-related facilities. Port Townsend Lodging Tax was $602,167 in 2022.

Members

Owen Rowe (Chair) - Elected Official, City Councilmember
Natalie Maitland, Fort Worden Hospitality - Collector
Kate Philbrick, Swan Hotel / Northwest Maritime Center - Collector
Katy Goodman, Centrum - Recipient
Danielle McClelland, Port Townsend Film Festival - Recipient
Denise Winter, Key City Public Theatre - Recipient
Mari Mullen, Port Townsend Main Street - Non-Voting
Cindy Finnie - At Large Position
Sarah Copley - At Large Position
Vacant Positions (4)
- Collector (2)
- Recipient (1)
- Non-Voting (1)

Contact the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee via email: LTAC@cityofpt.us

Meetings

Lodging Tax Advisory Committee meetings occur on the second Tuesday of odd months, at 3:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers at Historic City Hall, 540 Water Street. All meetings are open to the public and public comment is welcome. All scheduled meetings can be found on the Meeting Calendar and meeting agendas and minutes in the records and documents directory. You can review the meeting schedule with dates and deadlines for grants and grant review in the attachments below.

About the Committee

The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee is authorized to engage in tourism planning and promotion activities. The Committee reviews applications for tourism promotion and tourism-related facility projects and makes recommendations to City Council regarding the projects the City should fund through lodging tax reinvestment. Members are appointed by City Council and consist of one elected official of the City who is Chair, four representatives of businesses or entities required to collect the lodging tax, four representatives involved in activities funded by the lodging tax, and two at-large members. Non-voting members with tourism expertise are invited as well.

Are you interested in sustainable tourism and the reinvestment of lodging tax to serve our community? We are seeking members! Please see open positions above and use the general Advisory Board application form to apply.

Budget Background

The development of the LTAC budget is part of the development of the City of Port Townsend budget. This begins nearly 6 months before the start of the subsequent year and includes state-mandated statutory milestones and deadlines. In the 2024 budget, LTAC proposed to City Council a budget allocation for grants for a total of $40,000. City Council has included this in the 2024 City budget.

Current lodging tax funds are distributed among a variety of initiatives, including marketing, events, infrastructure, fee waivers and debt service. The following is a summary of the yearly approach to quarterly LTAC meetings and the development of the LTAC budget: Summary of LTAC Meetings and Development of LTAC Budget

Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) Process for A GRANT Request - NEW!

Supporting New Ideas

The City of Port Townsend Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) invites proposals for funding LTAC-related activities. LTAC will review proposals for funding with an intent to award grants totaling $40,000 split between spring and fall cycles. We anticipate that funding requests for new projects or initiatives as part of this application process to be awarded between $1000 - $10,000 each cycle. LTAC may decide to award partial funding to entities based on their proposal.

Criteria

All proposals must meet the minimum statutory requirements of RCW 67.28. Event organizers must demonstrate that they have appropriately mitigated any potential impacts and acquired any required permits. Further information and guidance can also be found at: https://mrsc.org/Home/Explore-Topics/Finance/Revenues/Lodging-Tax.aspx. In addition, proposals will be evaluated against these following weighted criteria, although proposals need not earn points in all categories: Criteria

Application Overview and Deadlines

The spring 2024 round of grant applications are due Friday, February 23 by 5:00PM PST.
The fall 2024 round of grant applications are due Friday, August 30 by 5:00PM PST.

Applicants who received Lodging Tax Funding within the last year are asked to wait one year to reapply. Applications may be submitted online using the link to the application form below. If you need assistance with your application, please email LTAC@cityofpt.us to set up an appointment. Appointments cannot be made on the day of the deadline.

LTAC Application Webinar was held on Monday, January 29. The webinar is be one-hour long and the link to the recording is below. We provided an overview of LTAC, the vision, goals and strategies of our committee, an overview of the granting program and a how-to on the application process, including criteria, deadlines, the application form, and the open public process for application review. View the webinar here!

Please note that you will want to compile your digital materials and have them ready to upload. The application portal does not save draft applications and submissions must be completed in one sitting. Start compiling your proposal materials early. The application portal will allow for three uploads and you may need to combine documents. If you need technical assistance in combining PDFs please let us know. There are no word count limits in the application, less is more.

Attachments allowed:

Project Narrative:
- Description of the event or project being proposed for LTAC funding
- Description of how you intend to market to visitors 50+ miles from Port Townsend
- A detailed project budget explicitly stating where you would direct LTAC funds being requested
501(c)(3) non-profit status documentation, or documentation of a fiscal sponsor
(if applicable) Marketing materials from relevant projects and events

Your proposal and all documents filed with the City are public records. The City may choose to post copies of the proposals and attached documents on its website as examples for future applicants. You can view a sampling of successful applications linked below.

Applicants are asked to attend the LTAC grant review meetings to provide a brief (3-minute) overview of their event, and to be present for questions.

Spring Applicants are asked to attend the LTAC meeting on Tuesday, March 12, 3:00PM.
Fall Applicants are asked to attend the LTAC meeting on Tuesday, September 10, 3:00PM.

Do aspects of your event or tourism program include local arts & culture?
Be sure to check out the City of Port Townsend's Arts Commission grants to see if you are eligible for both LTAC and PTAC grants:

https://cityofpt.us/bc/page/arts-commission-0

COMING SOON

City Staff are working on a Grants FAQ page for Lodging Tax and Arts Commission application processes. In the meantime, please direct questions to LTAC@cityofpt.us and we will get back to you as soon as possible.