Whidbey’s chambers of commerce top the list of recipients for Island County’s $220,000 allotment of lodging tax funds for 2015.
The Island County Board of Commissioners approved the recommendations of its Lodging Tax Advisory Committee during Monday’s regular meeting.
Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce received the largest amount, totaling $30,000. The Coupeville chamber received $26,750, and the Langley, Camano Island and Freeland chambers each received $25,000.
Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Christine Cribb said the lodging tax, which is a 2 percent tax on hotel rooms, goes primarily toward promoting local activities and events off-island.
“The goal is definitely to put heads in beds,” Cribb said.
Last year, only $186,000 in funding was available and all island chambers of commerce received $23,000.
The Coupeville Chamber uses the funds both for event promotion and running its well-used visitor’s center.
Lynda Eccles, the Coupeville chamber’s executive director, said that the visitor’s center sees more than 15,000 walk-ins a year.
“We couldn’t run a visitors center without the county’s 2 percent funds,” Eccles said.
Conspicuously absent from this year’s list was the Clinton Chamber of Commerce, which received the $23,000 for 2014, but did not apply for the 2015 cycle, according to the county.
Clinton Chamber of Commerce board Chairman Bob Craven said the organization is currently struggling with participation and couldn’t apply without a 2015 plan in place.
Other large allotments for 2015 included $12,000 to the Oak Harbor Music Festival, $10,000 to Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve, $8,800 to the Island County Historical Society, $8,000 for the Four Springs Lake Preserve and $7,000 to the Whidbey Island Marathon.
The PBY Memorial Foundation received $6,250, and $5,000 or less went to other events put on by organizations like the Coupeville Arts Center, South Whidbey Good Cheer and the Camano Arts Association.
The county’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, not to be confused with the City of Oak Harbor’s own committee, consists of seven members.
“The decisions focused on organizations with a track record of success who the committee felt would deliver the best results from the funds granted,” said current committee chairwoman Commissioner Jill Johnson.
