City council debates tourism funding allocation

Discussion surrounding how the city has initially suggested to allocate tourism funding for 2020 was plentiful during the Ritzville City Council meeting on Nov. 19.

The 110 Tourism Funds, collected by the city through a bed tax assessed by hotels and motels within the city are disbursed to businesses and organizations in the city for the purpose of promoting Ritzville and investing in infrastructure projects. At the Nov. 19 council meeting, the city unveiled its initial projection for how to allot the funds for next year.

The city currently plans to disburse $200,000 in funds next year, which is more than what was allocated in 2019 ($183,300) and substantially more than in 2018 ($112,625) and 2017 ($90,000). The city received funding requests amounting to $281,390 for 2020.

Businesses and organizations that are initially slated to receive all or almost all of their full funding request includes:

-Best Western Bronco Inn, who requested and is set to receive $4,200 to help pay for its Washington State Department of Transportation permit fee for freeway signs;

-Flying Arts Restoration, who requested and is set to receive $3,000 for ghost sign restoration;

-Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce, who requested and is set to receive $40,000 for marketing for special events and tourism;

-Ritzville Festivals Association, who requested and is set to receive $5,000 for the Ritzville Community Float, truck and trailer;

-Ritzville Rodeo Association, who requested and is set to receive $5,500 for advertising purposes;

-Wheatland Communities Fair, who requested and is set to receive $5,000 for advertising and promotion purposes; and

-H.E. Gritman Restoration Project, who requested $12,000 and is set to receive $10,000 to help fund a new music event.

The Ritzville Downtown Development Association requested $33,260 for maintenance and operation of the Ritz Theatre, and the city has suggested to fund $12,000 of that request.

The city itself also requested $173,430 in funding for projects relating to the Burroughs Home and Depot Museum, wayfinding signage and the Ritzville Golf Course clubhouse. The initial suggestion is for the city to set provide $115,300 in funds for those projects, with the bulk of the cuts coming from the wayfinding signage and golf course clubhouse projects so the city would not exceed $200,000 in total funding.

The main golf course clubhouse project this year--which is to install heating/cooling, windows and wall insulation--is initially being awarded $11,000 of the $30,000 requested for the project. Clerk-Treasurer Julie Flyckt said that as it currently stands, the city would be able to fund either the heating/cooling project or the windows and wall insulation project, but not both.

Councilmember Mike Schrag suggested that it made sense fiscally to do the heating/cooling project at the same time as the windows and wall insulation project, and asked if there was a way for the city to find the funds to do so. Councilmember Dennis Chamberlain noted that a gas furnace had just been installed in the clubhouse and said it would be able to keep the building warm until funding could be provided to finish all of the clubhouse projects.

“Well if we’re gonna do it, let’s do it right,” said Schrag.

Councilmember Mark Weigand suggested taking $19,000 in funding from wayfinding signage projects in 2020 to fund the rest of the clubhouse projects, but other councilmembers said that the wayfinding projects need to be completed as soon as possible.

There are several wayfinding projects for 2020 included in the city’s 110 Fund request. Of the $84,930 that was requested, the city has suggested funding $58,800 of that request. The only wayfinding project that didn’t receive full funding was to upgrade external WSDOT signage, which received $1,370 of the requested $27,500. Of the four wayfinding projects, it was determined that this was the lowest priority project.

Schrag added that he wasn’t wanting to cut funding from any other projects, but to raise the total funding limit to $219,000 rather than $200,000. Mayor Gary Cook said it’s something that the council and city staff can keep discussing before the ordinance determining how much money has been allocated for the 110 Fund in the 2020 budget is voted on next month.