The Snyder Chamber of Commerce hot occupancy tax (HOT) fund committee held an open meeting Monday afternoon to recommend funding for five different events.
After a June 10 meeting was questioned by the Snyder Daily News for not following the Texas Open Meetings Act, as outlined in the contract between the city and chamber’s operation as the city’s convention and visitors bureau, the panel reposted and held the meeting. During the meeting, it was asked if the board could go into closed session to discuss allocating funds for the events, but chamber board of directors chair Kristy Tyra said the meeting must be conducted in open session.
With three of the five committee members present, the panel reviewed the five applications and only one drew public comments.
Lynn Fuller spoke in favor of awarding HOT funds to The Coyote Store for three concerts being planned later this year. He said store owner Becky Justice had documentation that people stay in Snyder after concerts in Gail.
“She is promoting Snyder. People from Dallas/Fort Worth or San Antonio do not drive home after concerts, they stay in Snyder. She pushes them to stay in Snyder,” Fuller said.
He said he helps Justice by escorting the bands around Snyder prior to the show. He said many of the performers stay overnight in Snyder and he takes them to a local restaurant and county landmarks.
Fuller also noted that Justice was awarded HOT funds for a series of concerts in Snyder that did not develop and returned all of the money to the chamber.
“The spirit of the law is to get people into Snyder and spend money. She is doing that,” Fuller said.
Committee member Dr. Barbara Beebe read an email opinion from Texas Hotel and Lodging Association General Counsel Justin Bragiel concerning funds being awarded outside of Snyder.
“State law does not specify that the recipient of hotel tax revenue funds be physically located in the same city or county as where the hotel taxes are collected. State law does require that every hotel tax revenue expenditure directly promote tourism and hotel activity, and that the expenditure fit within one of the appropriate categories of the Tax Code,” the opinion stated. “Provided these two requirements are met, you can expend hotel tax revenue regardless of where the hotel tax funding recipient is located. A city could establish a more restrictive policy or ordinance that controls where a hotel tax recipient is located, but this would be a local, rather than state law requirement.”
The board voted to allocate $6,000 — $2,000 for each of three concerts scheduled for later this year — at The Coyote Store with the condition that Justice include the Snyder chamber logo on all advertising materials.
The committee also approved the following HOT fund requests:
• $5,000 for the Snyder Bike Rally.
• $1,500 for the Snyder ISD Hall of Honor banquet.
• $5,000 for White Buffalo Days.
• $2,500 for the Bob O’Day Golf Tournament.
The chamber’s board of directors voted to accept the committee’s recommendations during Monday night’s meeting.
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