A. There is hereby established a Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. The Committee shall consist of at least 5 members appointed by the City Council. In accordance with Chapter 67.28 RCW, the number of representatives of businesses required to collect the tax shall equal the number of members involved in activities authorized to be funded by lodging tax revenue received. At minimum, Committee membership shall consist of:

B. The Committee shall review and submit comments on all proposals submitted to it by the City Council relating to the imposition of a tax authorized under Chapter 67.28 RCW, an increase in the rate of such tax, repeal of an exemption from such tax, or a change in the use of revenue received from such tax.

C. The City Council shall submit the imposition of a new tax under Chapter 67.28 RCW, an increase in the rate of a tax imposed under this chapter, a repeal of an exemption from the tax imposed under this chapter, or a change in the use of revenue received under this chapter to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee for review and comment at least 45 days before final action on or passage of the proposal by the City Council. The Committee shall submit comments on the proposal on or before the date scheduled for final action after having afforded the public an opportunity for comment. Such comments may be written or oral; provided, that the Committee shall hold at least 1 meeting where the oral comments of the public are received and considered. The comments of the Committee shall include an analysis of the extent to which the proposal will accommodate activities for tourists or increased tourism, and the extent to which the proposal will affect the long-term stability of the Lodging Tax Fund. Failure of the Committee to timely submit comments, prior to final action on or passage of the proposal, shall not prevent the City Council from acting on the proposal. In the event the City Council, in its sole discretion, terms it appropriate to amend the proposal, it is not required to resubmit such proposal to the Committee.

D. Completed lodging tax funding applications will be submitted to the Committee for evaluation. In accordance with Chapter 67.28 RCW, the Committee must select the candidates from amongst the applicants applying for use of lodging tax revenues. The Committee shall evaluate the proposals based on eligibility for funds as established in Chapter 67.28 RCW, the extent to which the proposal will accommodate activities for tourists or increase tourism, and the extent to which the proposal will affect the long-term stability of the City’s Lodging Tax Fund. The Committee shall provide a list of such candidates and recommended amounts of funding to the City Council. The City Council may choose only recipients from the list of candidates and recommended amounts provided by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee.

E. The City Council shall review the membership of the Committee annually and make changes as appropriate in accordance with Chapter 67.28 RCW. (Ord. 2758 § 1, 2016; Ord. 2201 § 1, 1998).