HomeMy WebLinkAbout120724 email - LTAC Funding 2025ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Commissioners Eisenhour, Dean and Brotherton –
This is an urgent plea to pause your approach regarding the LTAC recommendations.
Your Jefferson County LTAC has been thoughtful, strategic and it appears that you offer no respect to these industry professionals.
The reason LTAC Boards are designed with funders and recipients is to get the industry professionals involved – those who are working in the business best understand the business. They
do not do this work in a vacuum – rather seek to understand the grant requests, follow the guidelines that are clearly outlined, and be consistent in the process of awarding the contracts.
Your role, as County Commissioners, I believe, is to accept these recommendations in the spirit of gratitude – for the good work of these LTAC members. That doesn’t mean without some
questions and comments. It does mean with support and guidance. Directives that shift the entire process are not helpful.
My biggest concern is that this will become a loop of ineffectiveness. Should you decline to accept these recommendations, then you will be obligated to send the LTAC back into deliberation
– and my guess is that this cycle will be a vicious one. In the meantime, what does this do for tourism? How does this answer the needs of our community? What businesses may ultimately
fail because we have NO marketing happening for Jefferson County tourism?
I will say, again, that the entire discussion about funding a pool study is ludicrous. While I think a pool would be a lovely amenity for our residents – in my 15 years of leadership
in the hospitality/tourism industry here – I have NEVER had a guest make this request. They DO ask for pickleball court locations. They DO ask for hiking recommendations. They DO
ask for good restaurants. They DO NOT ask for the location of a public pool. Yes, find a way to fund this. But don’t divert money collected by lodging to study a community pool.
Plans are underway – right now – for 2025 tourism marketing. Have you seen the results of the marketing efforts (by OPTC – of which TCC has participated) – the ones that show the results
during the shoulder season? Perhaps you should study that and seek to understand what is really being done to promote tourism in our communities.
Here are the salient points for further consideration:
A. Throughout 2024 the Jefferson County LTAC (Lodging Tax Advisory Committee) met over a dozen times, researching, debating, and preparing for the process of receiving, reviewing and
recommending the 2025 Tourism Marketing and Promotions funding allocations. Their hard work and ultimate majority recommendation should be followed. A dozen times. Most LTAC’s meeting
a couple of times a year and are effective in doing their work.
B. For over two years twenty tourism professionals and civic leaders joined forces in developing the comprehensive Olympic Peninsula Tourism Master Plan 2024-2029 <https://olympicpeninsula.org/wp-con
tent/uploads/2024/03/Olympic-Peninsula-Tourism-Master-Plan-2024-Feb-25-2024.pdf%20> whose purpose was to create a more consistent, sustainable and vibrant year-round visitor economy,
with an emphasis on increasing visitor spending in spring, fall and winter. Including thoughtful, well-researched, place-based recommendations for public, private and civic sectors
collaborating to lead strategic initiatives in three areas:
1. DESTINATION MARKETING
2. DESTINATION & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
3. PUBLIC-PRIVATE SECTOR ALIGNMENT
Jefferson County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour was instrumental in the development of the 5-year Olympic Peninsula Tourism Master Plan (serving on the Leadership Team and participating
in the Visioning Workshop), and its recommendations https://olympicpeninsula.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Olympic-Peninsula-Tourism-Master-Plan-2024-Feb-25-2024.pdf%20 <https://olympicpeninsula.or
g/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Olympic-Peninsula-Tourism-Master-Plan-2024-Feb-25-2024.pdf%20> Commissioner Brotherton was involved in the early conception of having this study implemented.
The work outlined in this plan is underway – with meaningful goals being fulfilled – ultimately to the betterment of our communities across the OP. This is not a document sitting
on a shelf – rather one to guide decisions informed by this reflective plan.
C. The Tourism Master Plan should be a foundational guiding light to BoCC as it is to LTAC. Supporting LTAC’s recommended funding of key tourism pillars, inclusive of Olympic Peninsula
Culinary Loop (OCL), Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission IOPTC), Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitor Center and the LTAC’s “hand and feet” work carried out by Tourism Coordination Council
(TCC).
D. RCW 67.28.1816 <https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=67.28.1816> , 2(b)(ii) states in part; “The municipality (i.e. Jefferson BoCC) may choose only recipients from the list
of candidates and recommended amounts provided by the local lodging tax advisory committee” Years of State-wide practice indicates that BoCC lack enabling legislation to recommend
amounts other than those provided by LTAC.
E. Time is of the essence. Fall, winter and spring marketing are essential periods for helping maintain the $160M in direct visitor spending to Jefferson County. Supporting over 8.5%
of all county employment, and contributing over $14M in direct State/Local Taxes. Source: https://olympicpeninsula.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Value-of-Tourism-to-Jefferson-County-2023.pdf
<https://olympicpeninsula.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Value-of-Tourism-to-Jefferson-County-2023.pdf> As was experienced with the 30-day shut down of the Gateway VIC during the advance
planned SR104/19 Roundabout construction, risking a shutdown of multiple tourism operations and furloughing of staff during ongoing deliberations is not an effective cost-savings mechanism.
At a time when there is no longer a “Jefferson County Chamber” – there is not a Visitor Center in the major hub (Port Townsend) of our County – and one of our institutions is in distress
(Fort Worden) – why would we divert the funds and attention of promoting tourism by ignoring the recommendations of this LTAC?
Please consider these thoughts as you deliberate together.
Respectfully submitted,
Debbie Wardrop
Debbie Wardrop
DebbieWardropLLC –
Events, Project Development &
Hospitality Services
Phone: 480.202.6384
Email: DebbieWardropLLC@gmail.com <mailto:DebbieWardropLLC@gmail.com>
www.LinkedIn.com/in/debbiewardrop <http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/debbiewardrop>