Lodging Tax Advisory Committee

Members

• Denise Frey, City Council Member and Committee Chair
• Ashley Walchok, Fairfield Inn and Suites (term expires May 17, 2025)
• Ash Printy, Hampton Inn and Suites (term expires April 6, 2024)
• Mike Huey, Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (term expires April 6, 2024)
• Virgil Valdez, Kitsap Filipino-American Association of Kitsap County (term expires April 6, 2024)

The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Title 67.28.1817 "Lodging Tax Advisory Committee in large municipalities" requires that "the committee membership shall include: (a) at least two members who are representatives of businesses required to collect the tax under this chapter; and (b) at least two members who are persons involved in activities authorized to be funded by revenue received under this chapter; …and "one member shall be an elected official of the municipality who shall serve as chair of the committee".

More information is provided in Bremerton Municipal Code (BMC) Chapter 2.38 "Lodging Tax Advisory Committee". The Council President appoints a Council Member as Chair to this committee on an annual basis and members of the committee may serve up to three 3-year terms.

Overview

Hotels collect a lodging tax when people stay overnight at a hotel, motel, long-term stay facility, bed and breakfast, or other similar type of overnight lodging. Proceeds are then provided to cities and those funds can only be used by non-profit organizations and government entities for the following:

• Marketing and operations of special events and festivals (also called "tourism promotion")
• Operations (but not capital expenditures) of tourism-related facilities owned or operated by non-profits
• Operations and capital expenditures of tourism related facilities owned or operated by a municipality or public facility district

The committee's role is to review the requests for funding from the lodging tax and make recommendations on funding to the Mayor and City Council. City Council may accept the recommendations as presented, modify the recommendations by removing a recipient(s) from the list, or remand the recommendations back to the committee for further deliberation. Following formal action by the City Council, the allocations are included in the City's Budget. After the budget is adopted, organizations enter into contracts with the City of Bremerton to provide tourism-related services for the next fiscal year.