Farmers Branch staff discuss local HOT contribution to help host United Pickleball Association event

A staff presenter briefed council on an initiative to support the United Pickleball Association’s grant application to the State of Texas event trust fund. The presenter explained the local contribution would come from the hotel occupancy tax (HOT) fund, which is restricted to "heads and beds" uses, and noted that portions of the contribution could be reimbursed to the city or retained by the applicant depending on grant terms.

The presenter recalled the city’s participation last year in a sponsorship that funded shuttles for attendees at nationals held at Brookhaven Country Club and said staff will discuss business incentives in a closed executive session later. No formal action was taken during the study session; staff flagged the grant and incentive discussion for later consideration.

Next steps: staff will proceed with the grant application process and bring any proposed incentive agreements to council for review in executive session as appropriate.