Event organizers will want to get applications and post-event reports to the Snyder Chamber of Commerce on time.
During Monday’s meeting, the chamber’s board of directors put in place a penalty if a hotel occupancy tax (HOT) fund application is late and voted to withhold 12½ percent of the allocated money until the 60-day post-event analysis is submitted. Once the final report is submitted, the final payment will be sent to event organizers.
Dr. Jason Cave, who serves as the HOT fund committee chairman, recommended the 12½ percent penalty for late applications and another 12½ percent for events that did not submit the analysis report. However, board member Merle Taylor suggested 12½ percent should be withheld from the approved funding until the report is submitted. Board members quickly agreed that was a better idea.
“This has gotten out of hand for so long,” Cave said “It looks bad to the city that we are not doing our due diligence.”
Cave said several organizers have not submitted post-analysis reports, but continue to request, and receive, funding comparable to the previous year.
“We really don’t want to penalize anybody, we just want the data,” said board member Jeff Knowles. “This is definitely an incentive.”
“This way it will be fresh on their minds,” Taylor said of receiving the final payment.
Board members said the Snyder High School baseball and softball programs will be penalized 12½ percent if organizers submit applications for March tournaments.
“We called them, (the staff) has called them,” Cave said of Snyder coaches. “They did not submit an application.”
However, if an event is requesting funding for the first time, it would not be automatically penalized for a late application because organizers may not be aware of the policy, Cave said.
The board approved allocating $2,280 for Lynn Fuller to purchase liability insurance and make needed repairs at the Triangle Sinclair Station. Fuller told the board that HOT funds were available under the tourism criteria.
The Scurry County Museum requested $2,890 for Chocolate Fest advertising and was awarded $2,340 to help cover those costs. Cave said the event does not put heads in beds, but is classified as an art event which he said makes it eligible for HOT funds.
The Western Texas College rodeo team was awarded $10,000 for its National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association event in March.
Snyder CrossFit requested $10,000 for its Granite Games event in January, but was awarded $2,000 to help pay the licensing fee for advertising purposes, Cave said.
Fuller will be exempt from providing the post-analysis report to the chamber because his funding does not cover an event. However, 12½ percent will be withheld from the three events until the post-analysis reports are submitted to chamber officials, Cave said.
During the December meeting, the board will appoint members to the HOT fund committee. They will meet four times in 2019. The meeting dates and application deadlines for event organizers are:
• March 11 for events being held in May, June and July. The application deadline is March 1.
• June 10 for events being held in August, September and October. The application deadline is May 31.
• Sept. 9 for events being held in November, December and January. The application deadline is Aug. 30.
• Dec. 9 for events being held in February, March and April 2019. The application deadline is Nov. 30.
In other business, the board voted on the 2019 executive board, which consists of chairman Kristy Tyra, vice chairman Kenny Miller, treasurer Keith Herrley and chairman-elect Merle Taylor. The board did not name a replacement for Richard Powell, whose term ends at the end of the year.
Image
Body