boscorelli / Depositphotos.com
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – The Monk Botanical Gardens went in front of Weston’s Tourism Board earlier this week. They wanted $10,000 for their lights display, which attracts a fair number of visitors to the garden.
But the garden’s Board of Directors faced considerable push-back over their ill-fated name change, which has since been reversed. Their funding request was unanimously turned down.
That’s the right decision, but for the wrong reason.
The purpose of the hotel room tax is to promote tourism. It should be used to support events and groups that bring large numbers of out-of-town guests to our area to stimulate the economy.
And, sorry, while I am a friend of the Monk Botanical Gardens, the number of people who travel from out of town and decide to stay for the night to tour the grounds is probably zero. I am also skeptical of Wausau Community Theater, which applies for some of Wausau’s room tax money each year. The number of people who drive down from Eagle River or come up from Milwaukee for a community theater show is probably very, very small. And while I personally enjoy dinner and a play, this is not a group that fills local hotel rooms. I wish them well, but I don’t support our limited tourism dollars being misspent.
There are some events that are obvious ‘yesses’ for room tax money. Earlier this year there was a large youth tournament at the Wausau soccer complex. All of the teams stayed overnight. Their players and parents spent money to stay here. The annual Hmong Association event grows every year and attracts visitors from across the region. I’m told that finding a hotel room that weekend is difficult.
The groups and organizations that go to the front of the room tax funding line are the groups that attract the most people to the area. The questions that should be asked are these: how many people come to your event, and where do they come from. The hotel room tax funds are not a grab bag for every community group that needs money. It’s a limited resource that we all need to boost our economy.
Chris Conley
Comments