PORT TOWNSEND –City Council members met with its Lodging Tax Advisory Committee Monday night to discuss on-going tourism promotion efforts.
Annually, the city collects up to $260,000 from the 450 hotel-motel-B&B beds in Port Townsend, according to a report compiled the committee, which plays an advisory role to the city, overseeing and administering the bed tax money that’s collected.
The committee spends this money on tourism promotion, such as advertising and Port Townsend tourist guides as well as the tourist infrastructure that includes maintenance of visitor centers, restrooms and tourist facilities.
Council members backed the advisory committee’s tactics and discussed further need for the development of tourist facilities, such as more restrooms downtown.
Additionally the advisory committee’s reserve fund received special attention when the issue of the Hood Canal bridge closure was brought up.
Annually the advisory committee puts 18 percent, or about $60,000, of the bed tax revenue into a reserve fund, which it plans to use for mitigation during construction at the Hood Canal Bridge.
Thus far the reserve fund totals $140,000.