Applications are now being accepted by the County of Gillespie for the $120,000 in Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) funds it plans to divide up at the end of next month.
Organizations who prove they can use the money to put “heads in beds,” thereby pumping money into the local economy, will get their chance at a portion of the funding when deliberations commence in March.
Until then, the applications (which became available Jan. 29) will be due by the close of business on Monday, March 3.
A final decision on who gets what is expected to be made by the Gillespie County Commissioners Court at its regular session set for 9 a.m. on Monday, March 24, in the county courtroom of the courthouse.
HOT funds are supplied by taxes collected by the county from overnight visitors in hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and inns located in the unincorporated areas outside Fredericksburg.
They are then put back into the community by supporting and assisting qualifying events, projects and programs that promote tourism. By law, HOT revenue may be used only for specific tourism-related purposes.
The $120,000 to be divided up among the local groups is a disbursement of actual funds collected from visitors/tourists who used overnight venues in the county over the last year.
There is a two-part set of criteria to determine whether a proposed applicant is worthy of funding.
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