Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson was right when she described the state rules governing the distribution of lodging tax as “bizarre.”
State lawmakers may have had the best of intentions when they created requirements for the make-up of the volunteer boards charged with making recommendations for the distribution of taxes collected by hotels and motels. But the result has sometimes been bad blood and discourse.
And when the groups that are supposed to be working together to spur tourism don’t get along, the whole thing becomes counterproductive.
Under law, the Lodging Tax Advisory Committees for cities and counties have to be made up of equal numbers of representatives of businesses who collect the tax — hotels and motels — and representation of groups or entities involved in tourism-promoting activities authorized to receive the funds.
As a result, some of the same people who want the funds are on the committee that makes recommendations about who gets the money. In small communities like ours, the applicants and the advisory committee members are friends who’ve worked closely for years.
It’s not a recipe for objective or evidence-based decision- making.
Sometimes friendships and money don’t mix. And there’s a lot of money at stake. Both the county and city are doling out hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
In another wrinkle, the committee has an unusual amount of power for an advisory board. Under a 2013 law change, the elected officials, whether council members or commissioners, can no longer change the amounts the committee recommends, but only have the choice of accepting, rejecting or asking for reconsideration.
Volunteer boards, in general, should not have so much control over tax dollars or other important matters in government. The members are not elected — they didn’t campaign and explain their views — and aren’t beholden to the greater community but are just people who raised their hands and volunteered to serve. Elected officials are also required to make decisions in public so the public can consider their reasoning. Committees aren’t public and often aren’t advertised for public review.
Volunteer committees should be commended and their work should be respected, but ultimately we rely on the people we elect to look past small circles of well-connected people and make hard decisions for the good of the entire community.
Oak Harbor City Council members have historically been reluctant, perhaps understandably, to disagree with recommendations from volunteer boards, even when they have questions or don’t understand the reasoning. It may feel rude or presumptuous, but they were elected to take in information and make their own decisions.
Island County commissioners probably angered members of their Lodging Tax Advisory Committee when they disagreed with the recommendation to increase funding of the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce and wanted to reallocate some of the money to the PBY-Naval Air Museum in Oak Harbor.
Because of the disagreement between the commissioners on one side and the advisory committee and chamber on the other, there was the possibility the chamber wouldn’t get any county lodging taxes. Though it seems that cool heads ultimately prevailed Tuesday and funds were allocated.
There may be personal or political motives in play, but the truth is that it’s ultimately the elected officials’ prerogative.
In fact, the elected officials should have the power to change allocations, as they had before the law change. Our state lawmakers should take another look at the rules and make changes.
