Eight of the nine groups that applied for 2025 Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) funding within the City of Chehalis will be receiving funds after the Chehalis City Council unanimously approved the committee’s recommendations during a council meeting on Monday, Sept. 23.
LTAC funds are given to nonprofits, convention and visitor bureaus, destination marketing organizations and government entities for marketing, operations and expenditures all designed to increase tourism. Derived from a tax on overnight stays, the funding is aimed at bringing more people into the city.
The Chehalis LTAC met on Sept. 11 to review funding applications and prepare recommendations for the council.
Chehalis Administrative Assistant Sabrina Kostick broke down the LTAC funding numbers for the city council on Monday.
In total, the City of Chehalis had $361,968 in LTAC funds to allocate next year after setting aside $50,000 for the 2025 LTAC ending fund balance along with an additional $71,508 in dedicated debt service for Recreation Park.
Here are the approved allocations:
• The Lewis County Historical Society and Museum requested $50,000 and was awarded $50,000.
• The Chehalis Farmers Market requested $13,600 and was awarded $13,600.
• The Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce requested $20,000 and was awarded $5,000.
• Lewis County Parks and Recreation, which manages the Southwest Washington Fair, requested $20,000 but was not awarded any funds.
• Discover Lewis County requested $20,000 and was awarded $20,000.
• The Veterans Memorial Museum requested $45,000 and was awarded $45,000.
• The Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum requested $50,000 and was awarded $50,000.
• Experience Chehalis requested $61,500 and was awarded $61,500.
• Chehalis Parks and Recreation requested $90,500 and was awarded $90,500.
The committee recommended adding $26,367 in surplus LTAC funds to the $50,000 ending fund balance to be utilized in 2026.
Chehalis LTAC Chair and City Councilor Kevin Carns explained to his fellow councilors why the chamber and Lewis County Parks and Recreation were not awarded their requests.
“Parks and Fair did not really come with a marketing plan to heads in beds, bottom line,” Carns said.
He added the Chehalis LTAC was also concerned that the neighboring Lewis County LTAC had also denied the department’s LTAC funding request.
As for the chamber’s request, Carns said the canceling of the second annual 3-on-3 Streetball Festival, which was originally scheduled earlier this year in August, was one of the reasons the LTAC declined their request.
He stated there is also concern about state laws not being followed and many chamber events being geared toward locals instead of attracting tourists, leading the LTAC to only grant the chamber’s secondary request of $5,000.
To read the Chehalis LTAC Sept. 11 meeting minutes where funding applications were reviewed and the recommendations were made, go to page 29 of the Chehalis City Council’s agenda report at https://www.ci.chehalis.wa.us/media/38286.
For more information on the Chehalis LTAC, visit the city’s website at https://www.ci.chehalis.wa.us/bc/page/lodging-tax-advisory-committee.
