Hotel/motel tax dollars may boost fairgrounds, chalk festival

Twelve local agencies and organizations and the city are likely to be the beneficiaries of $36,033 in local option Hotel/Motel Sales Tax dollars this year.

The Le Mars City Council received the requests for annual allocations of the sales tax revenue from the Hotel/Motel Sales Tax Advisory Board at its Tuesday session.

Final action on the requested dollars -- and for the allocation of $60,000 of the sales tax revenue for operation of the Le Mars Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) -- is to be taken at the Feb. 16 council meeting.

The lag in time is to allow time for citizen input on the requests.

The largest request is for $9,000, submitted by the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce for the 2011 Ice Cream Days.

The advisory board has asked the Chamber to also work with the CVB for marketing the event through the cooperative Community Marketing effort.

Plymouth County 4-H and Agricultural Society is asking for $8,260 for improvements on the doors and sidewalks of the Plymouth County Fairground's Open Exhibit building for security and handicap accessibility.

The advisory board is recommending $1,500 of a $6,500 request made by the National Traditional Country Music Association (NTCMA) for its Bluegrass Festival.

The board at the same time recommended the $1,500 be used for marketing outside the immediate and working with the CVB for additional marketing with the Community Marketing program.

Also recommended by the board is $2,890 for the Le Mars Main Street Program for the Madonnari Chalk Art Festival, $1,662 for "Mystery Theatre" expenses at the Willow Creek Golf Course, $1,000 for the annual "Scoop Da Loop" event, and about $800 for 2010 Santa's Palace marketing.

The board also called on the Main Street representatives to use the available CVB Community Marketing in promoting the various events.

An anticipated $2,500 in funding for the Plymouth County Pioneer Christmas Village and a requested $1,752 in funding from the Plymouth County Museum for insulation of the Museum study hall were also recommended for approval by the advisory board.

The Le Mars Senior Center is recommended to receive $560 to purchase a new refrigerator for the agency's rental/meeting facilities.

Other recommendations are $275 for the Le Mars Arts Council for purchase of an exterior Arts Center banner to assist tourists locating the building site and for promotion of current activities. The organization is also recommended to receive $275 for the printing of Barn Quilt tourist informational maps.

The City of Le Mars is recommended to receive a total of $5,556.

This includes $3,772 for the purchase and installation of new carpet for the board room in the upper level of the Le Mars Convention Center, $1,015 for a new PA system for the convention center and $769 to buy pub-style tables for the Willow Creek Golf Course. These were seen seen as incentives for increased rental options resulting in additional revenue.

Two requests, one by the city for tables for the Convention Center and for remodeling of the "Y" locker rooms were rejected by the Hotel/Motel Sales Tax Advisory Board.

The board has also reserved $3,967 for the marketing of currently unexpected community events.

Mayor Dick Kirchoff commended Jessica Lingren, CVB manager, for her efforts and that of the advisory board in the screening and evaluation of the requests.

Councilman Ken Nelson added that it was important for local residents to know the funding was not taken from the city's general funds but rather hotel and motel sales tax monies.

The City of Le Mars has received a total of $794,458 in hotel/motel sales tax revenue from the state of Iowa since the inception of the local option tax in Le Mars Jan. 1, 2001.

The tax continues through December 2016.