Town Approves $150k to Nonprofits

Seven nonprofits will share $150,000 from the 2-percent hospitality sales tax to help draw more tourism to Summerville with their events.

The town's finance committee unanimously approved Monday, Aug. 8, to follow the recommendations of . 

The tax grants to nonprofits are designed to aid events that promote the town to tourists and residents. The hospitality tax is a 2 percent tax imposed on sale of meals, food and beverages, according to the town ordinance. 

This year, $240,000 was requested from applying organizations but only $150,000 was made available. 

The final breakdown of the $150,000 is:

• $52,615.23 to Summerville YMCA Flowertown Festival

• $39,873.08 to Summerville DREAM events

• $18,714,45 to Summerville Community Orchestra

• $20,844.19 to Sculpture in the South's Show and Sale

• $8,243.79 to Flowertown Players

• $3,756 to Dorchester Children's Center's Scrumptious Summerville Kitchen Tour

• $5,952.18 to The Arts Business Civic Coalition's Wine & Art Under the Pines

The five-person hospitality tax committee made recommendations based on need and numbers individually. All five recommendations were then averaged.

However, the original added averages left a surplus of $3,129, so that extra money was then divided up pro rata among the seven nonprofits and added to their final sum.

"Some of these organizations, without this money, they would not exist," hospitality tax committee member Rita Berry said Monday.