The Woodland City Council has voted to evenly split leftover lodging tax funds between the Woodland Visitor Center and Downtown Woodland Revitalization, ending weeks of debate over how to spend $50,000 in hotel tax dollars.
In a 3-3 vote on Monday, Oct. 20, Mayor Todd Dinehart broke the tie by siding with council members who supported dividing the funds equally between the two tourism-related organizations. Councilors Melissa Doughty, Gabe Huston and Jason Friend voted in favor of the split, while Terry Hall, Carol Rounds and Douglas Freimarck opposed. Councilor J.J. Burke was excused.
Dinehart said his tie-breaking vote reflected how Burke would have likely voted.
Councilmember Melissa Doughty said the even division better supports activities that draw visitors to Woodland.
“I just feel like we are giving a lot of money to one visitor center for basically a salary and not reciprocating enough heads in beds results,” Doughty said. “I’d rather see it split evenly amongst two entities that can provide more heads in beds. I think it’s fair to split it down the middle and not deny them.”
Councilmember Carol Rounds, who has long served on the city’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, voiced skepticism about the downtown group’s long-term impact.
“I used to [be] set on Downtown Revitalization for years when I was in banking,” Rounds said. “Their idea was to bring business to Woodland and fill the downtown area. It wasn’t heads and beds. It was to try to get businesses [downtown]. It’s been going for many, many years and nothing has been done.”
The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) met again on Wednesday, Oct. 22, and voted 3-2 to accept the council’s recommendation to split the remaining funds evenly between the Visitor Center and Downtown Woodland Revitalization. Rounds, who chairs the committee, voted against the measure. The decision will return to the city council for final approval.
Neil Butler, president of the Woodland Chamber of Commerce, which operates the Visitor Center, said the organization cannot sustain operations under a reduced budget. The chamber has asked for $50,000 to help maintain the Visitor Center, and received $40,000 last year.
“We cannot operate it below that,” Butler said. “Taking a $25,000 cut from the initial $50,000 would not be sustainable or practical.”
He said the center costs about $90,000 a year to run, with large support from county lodging funds, among other local revenue sources. Butler added that the visitor center plays a direct role in helping travelers find local accommodations, permits and current conditions while they’re in town.
“The visitor center adds substantial value to what’s going on,” Butler said. “They get actual pertinent information from the people who are physically visiting and staying in the community.”
Aaron Brown, a member of Downtown Woodland Revitalization, said the council’s decision was reasonable.
“It seems fair and it seems just to me,” Brown said. “We had hoped that everyone would be treated equally.”
Brown said DWR plans to use the funds to expand and improve major downtown events such as Hot Summer Nights, Movies in the Park and Winterfest, which he said have already drawn visitors from out of town.
“Especially Hot Summer Nights and the movies at the park proved to draw quite a few people,” Brown said. “There were multiple stories of people coming into town and staying for Hot Summer Nights, and so we hope to build that out even more this year with musicians and an even better marketplace.”
He also questioned the chamber’s claim that the Visitor Center could not continue with $25,000 from the city’s lodging tax funds.
“I’d be surprised if the visitor center was discontinued with $25,000 to work with,” Brown said. “That number should meet both organizations’ needs if run carefully and prudently.”
The city council is expected to take a final vote on the split in a future meeting.
