Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley asked a volunteer board to meet again and reconsider its decision to not award lodging tax dollars to the 2015 Whidbey Island Marathon.

At the same time, the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce was the big winner in this year’s recommendations. The city’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee recommended $100,000 for operations and another $67,500 for marketing.

Last year, the council awarded the chamber $80,000 in lodging tax funds for operations and $1,000 for marketing.

Chamber Executive Director Christine Cribb said the committee’s decision was unanimous and unprecedented, showing how much faith the committee members have in the chamber. In fact, the committee recommended even more dollars for marketing than the chamber requested.

Cribb pointed out that Oak Harbor is the largest city with the largest chamber on the island, which likely carried weight with the committee.

“We had a plan and a very well-presented application,” Cribb said. “I was extremely humbled and grateful by the end of that meeting.”

The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee met for more than six hours last week to review applications for 2015 lodging tax funds — also known as 2 percent dollars — which are earmarked for tourism-related activities.

The committee, whose members are appointed by the mayor, took on new significance this year as the result of a change in state law. City Council members can no longer simply change the grant amounts recommended by the committee; the elected officials must follow the committee’s recommended amounts, choose not to fund an applicant at all or ask the committee to reconsider.

The group recommended $277,600 in grant funds to 13 applicants.

The lodging tax brings in about $180,000 a year, according to Finance Director Doug Merriman. There’s currently more than $600,000 in the fund, some of which was earmarked years ago for a downtown clock tower.

The allocation of lodging tax dollars to the chamber resulted in some wrangling last year after Dudley argued that the lodging tax money the chamber received could be better used elsewhere, in particular for more community events; however, Dudley has said he’s supportive of the chamber under Cribb, the new director.

More recently, the city-owned marathon also became embroiled in controversy when Dudley decided to replace longtime marathon organizer Tamra Sipes, to the disappointment of council members.

Dudley selected the Elks Club to run the marathon this coming year; club member Melissa Riker is serving as race director.

Riker submitted a request for $50,000 in lodging tax funds for operation and marketing of the city-owned event. The request was a substantial increase from last year’s allocation of $5,000.

Members of the committee denied the request, however, because Riker’s budget showed a large profit, her application was incomplete and she couldn’t answer questions about how the tax dollars would be spent, according to City Councilman Jim Campbell.

Campbell serves as chairman of the Tax Advisory Committee.

“She couldn’t answer a lot of questions, which is understandable,” he said. “This is her first time.”

The decision to decline marathon funding didn’t sit well with Dudley, who pointed out that the intended purpose of lodging tax money is to promote tourism and fill hotel rooms.

“If there’s any event that does a great job of putting heads in beds,” he said, “it’s the Whidbey Island Marathon.”

Dudley said he asked Campbell to reconvene the advisory committee so that the questions asked of Riker can be answered more effectively.

Campbell agreed. The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 12 in council chambers.

It may be a tough sell. Michelle Curry, a member of the committee, said the decision to deny the allocation to the marathon was unanimous. She said it doesn’t seem fair to give the group another shot.

“I stake my reputation on fairness,” she said. “If they’re going to open it up for the marathon, they should open it up for everyone.”

The committee recommended that Curry receive $20,000 for her marketing the Oak Harbor hydroplane races.

Even with the resistance, Dudley said he’s optimistic that the committee will reverse its decision and decide to fund the marathon.

Volunteers sought for Whidbey Island Marathon

Organizers of the 2015 Whidbey Island Marathon are seeking volunteers to help organize, garner community support, coordinate logistics, plan entertainment and lend a hand to ensure the success of the event.

This year’s marathon is April 19.

Race Director Melissa Riker is seeking “walkers, runners, medical personnel, community leaders, anyone wanting to make a difference.”

Riker is running the marathon, which is owned by the city, for Oak Harbor Elks Lodge.

The first volunteer committee meeting is 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19 at the Elks Lodge, 155 NE Ernst St.

The Whidbey Island Marathon is a community event that starts with a free Expo on April 18.

Race day starts early on Sunday, April 19, with the full marathon starting line just across the Deception Pass State Bridge at Pass Lake.

The half marathon, 10k, 5k and the 1k kids dash will start and end at Windjammer Park. A festival is planned at the finish line for the community to attend and cheer on those completing the challenging course.

To volunteer, call Riker at 360-929-2489 or 360-675-7111 or email her at m.riker@hotmail.com