The Woodland City Council discussed the possibility of Downtown Woodland Revitalization (DWR) hosting a Woodland welcome center during its Monday, Feb. 2, meeting, as questions continue about how remaining lodging tax funds could be used following the closure of the Woodland Visitor Center.
The discussion unfolded following a lengthy process to determine the city’s use of Lodging Tax Advisory Committee funding, which culminated late last year in the Woodland Chamber of Commerce announcing it would close the city’s longtime Visitor Center in 2026 after receiving no LTAC funding from the city.
The council favored splitting $50,000 in remaining LTAC funds between the Chamber and DWR last year, rather than awarding the minimum $40,000 the Chamber said it needed to operate. DWR received $25,000 to support its operations, and the Chamber of Commerce ultimately received no funds, leaving $25,000 remaining in the city’s LTAC funds. DWR organizes community events such as Hot Summer Nights and Movies in the Park.
Speaking before council members on Monday, DWR President Adonica Simpson told council members the idea for a welcome center grew out of ongoing conversations about funding, visibility and the need for a physical presence downtown as DWR works to expand its role in attracting visitors and supporting local businesses.
“We’ve been looking into ways to have a public location for DWR. We have a lot of people who are reaching out to us and they wanna be able to meet with us. We have volunteers that are interested. We have other entities that are interested. And in order to accomplish actually bringing in people together to fill the buildings downtown, we need a location,” Simpson said.
Simpson acknowledged that the debate surrounding LTAC dollars and the closure of the Visitor Center prompted DWR to consider how it could help fill the gap left behind while still focusing on its core mission.
“If we were to find a location where we had an actual physical presence and we made it a welcome center that was for all of the Woodland community, it would meet several needs that citizens have expressed to us,” Simpson said. “So it just comes down to the funding and whether or not you want to spend that money on that kind of work.”
She emphasized that DWR’s events and online outreach would continue regardless of the council’s decision, pointing to attendance at festivals and growing web traffic as signs of momentum.
“We’re not going to stop our events. Our local people enjoy them. We bring in thousands of people to those events. Whether you think they spend the night or not, I’m not really concerned about that other than they’re spending money here,” Simpson said. “So for me, that’s good.”
City staff clarified that the remaining $25,000 in LTAC funds could either roll over into the next budget cycle, be sent back to the LTAC committee for a new recommendation or be adjusted by council with a required 45-day public comment period.
Mayor Todd Dinehart said the issue of additional LTAC funding would be brought back for a future workshop, noting that other organizations would also have the right to apply for the remaining funds.
