Newberry City Council approves Accommodations Tax funding

NEWBERRY – Newberry City Council approved the recommendations of the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee during their meeting last week. Motion was made by Councilperson Lemont Glasgow and seconded by Councilperson Jackie Holmes.

Each year, the City of Newberry advertises in various platforms that their application process is open and that they will be accepting applications for funding from non-profit community organizations engaged in tourism related activities benefiting the City of Newberry.

Each applicant must prove that they meet the requirements of eligibility and come before the Accommodations Tax Committee to present their requests.

The Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee met March 10 to consider 11 applications submitted for possible funding in 2021. From the total list of applicants, seven marketing-focused projects were chosen. The total sum of the projects submitted for funding was $123,700. The total funds available for distribution were calculated at $54,696.65, down nearly $25,000 from last year, City Manager Matt DeWitt said.

Money for the requests is generated from hospitality and accommodations taxes, such as hotel stays and dining within the city limits of Newberry. That money is then turned around and given back to the city to divide out among eligible non-profits that look to promote tourism related activities outside of the 29108 ZIP code.

DeWitt said funding was lower this year than in years past due to the tolls of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he hoped the available funding would be turned around to promote tourism and to help elevate future funding to their historic levels.

After a presentation and discussion of each project, the committee recommended seven non-profit funding amounts to council as follows: Newberry Community Players: $5,039.33; Newberry Opera House: $21,039.33; Newberry Oktoberfest: $10,539.33; Parks, Recreation and Tourism $10,539.33; Newberry Downtown Development Association: $5,039.33; Newberry Museum: $1,500; Palmetto Conservation Foundation: $1,000.

Now that funding has been approved by council, DeWitt said each will entity be contacted and money will be dispersed. Projects that were presented must be completed within one year.