Chamber Asks City Council to Reconsider Funding Allocation

The Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce has requested city council reconsider the amount of funding the chamber will receive from the city's accommodation tax fund this year.

Each year the city awards local tourism entities with a special grant from the Accommodation Tax budget based on need and the potential for a boost in tourism as a result of the funding. Local groups must apply for the funding by submitting an application which is in turn reviewed by the Accommodations Tax Committee.

The Accommodation Tax is an additional tax placed on food service and the local hotel industry.

"I am concerned about the Accommodations Tax Committee decision to reduce the Easley Chamber of Commerce request for $21,700, it had been reduced down to $10,500," Chamber President Kent Dykes told city council Monday night. 

"That's a significant reduction which is going to impact our service to tourism in Easley," Dykes said.

Dykes reminded the council that the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center acts as the primary point of reference for any newcomers to the city.The Chamber provides visitors with brochures and tourism information in addition to steering visitors to area businesses and hotels, Dykes said.

"Just this past year we have documentation of 152 families that came from all over the United States and some places all over the world, came into our Chamber office," Dykes said.

The fund was distributed as follows, according to City Administrator Fox Simons:

• $5,000 for the Downtown Business Association
• $5,000 for the Easley Foothills Playhouse
• $8,000 for the Big League World Series
• $4,000 for Easley Parks and Recreation
• $10,500 for the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce

Councilman David Watson defended the committee's decision to allocate the funds the way they did. 

"Everybody who sits on that committee is in some way or shape informed and related to tourism," Watson said. 

Dykes told the council that the chamber has counted on the funding it typically receives in order to fund various programs to encourage tourism.

"If you look at the monies that are appropriated to everybody else, I don't know how else you'd cut it up, you're gonna kill somebody else on this," Watson said. "And obviously this tourism oriented group felt like that money divided that way would be best spent."

Watson recommended city council vote to approve the committee's recommendations. Councilman Chris Mann requested further research into the committee's recommendations from previous years in order to make an informed decision. 

Councilman Brian Garrison suggested approving the committee decision but requested more information before council voted on a second reading next month. Other council members agreed and voted to approve the first reading the funding recommendations with plans to review the records.