Grant pays locals for attracting guests

By Jason E. Silvers

The Fort Scott Tribune

The public can now take advantage of special available funding that is designed to boost local tourism and the economy.

Applications for grants from transient guest tax funding for 2009 are now available at the Fort Scott Office of Tourism and Visitor Information Center, 231 E. Wall St., and online at www.fortscott.com.

Any local resident, group or organization may apply for funding, which is provided for events that promote the area, draw out-of-town visitors to Fort Scott and encourage tourists to stay overnight in local lodging facilities, officials said.

"The objective of these funds is to encourage overnight tourism in Fort Scott," Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Tourism Director Cynthia McFarlin said. "We want it (transient guest tax) to be self-perpetuating. This particular funding is specifically to encourage visitors to stay in one of our hotels or bed and breakfasts. It's a nice tool and we're pleased to be able to have this money to give out."

The Transient Guest Tax Committee will consider funding requests to support the promotion of Fort Scott as a visitor destination to five distinct travel segments; group tours, leisure travelers, meetings and conventions, trade shows, and corporate meetings and travel.

"These are not just grants; they are investments we are making to our local businesses and organizations for the express purpose of promoting overnight stays in Fort Scott," committee member Mark McCoy said. "These overnight stays will enrich all parts of our economy and further build the TGT fund for future investment."

The committee's bylaws do not allow any person or group to receive more than three grants for the same event, so the committee is especially looking for new events and efforts to promote Fort Scott tourism.

"I think it's (transient guest tax) important because it provides an opportunity for investment back into the community," committee member and local business owner Nate Lyons said. "Money is available to organizations to apply for use in promoting specific events. We want to let more people know that these investments are available. We're also looking for new organizations to apply."

Lyons also said that the transient guest tax funds are beneficial because they are used to help pump money back into the local economy and even get some visitors interested in relocating to Fort Scott.

"All these guests who spend the night will eat in the local restaurants, buy gas, shop at local stores, and additional revenues are created," he said. "The more interest we get, the more we can invest in the community. They (guest tax) also generate added sales tax revenue. A lot of people have stayed to live here."

Lyons added that one of the goals of the committee this year is to increase public awareness of the transient guest tax and how the funds can benefit the community.

"For a long time, a lot of people didn't know this money was available, so we're giving a special effort to get the word out to people and hopefully be able to create more transient guest tax," he said.

Applicants will be required to provide definitive documentation of how their particular event increases the frequency of overnight stays in the community, and recipients must also submit copies of paid obligations to receive reimbursements that are not to exceed the amount of investment approved. The committee will not support applications used to promote activities that exclusively serve the local population, a chamber statement said.

After receiving recommendations from the committee, the Fort Scott City Commission will administer the grant funds and allocate certain amounts to each applicant once the funding requests are approved. The commission makes all final decisions regarding the use of funds, which are subject to reduction based on the amount of tax collected. Funds must be requested and spent between March 1 and December 31, 2009.

Transient guest tax funds are generated through a 5 percent tax paid by guests who stay at local hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast facilities in Fort Scott, and not a tax collected from local residents, chamber officials said.

Any person, group or organization that wishes to apply for funding may obtain an application by calling the chamber office at (620) 223-3566, by visiting the Visitor Information Center, sending an e-mail to fstourism@fortscott.com, or by downloading the application from the chamber Web site, www.fortscott.com. Applications must be received at the Visitor Center by 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, either in person or via the United States Postal Service. No applications will be accepted via e-mail or fax, the chamber statement said.

Link to grant application:

http://www.fortscott.com/images/userfiles/File/2009%20Application.pdf