Sunnyside LTAC members push for tourism vision study to guide future grants

Committee members at the April 3 LTAC meeting agreed to explore commissioning an outside tourism and vision study to help clarify which events and projects should receive lodging-tax funding. The study would define Sunnyside’s tourism assets, set measurable goals for room-night generation, and produce evaluation criteria for future grant cycles.

Tom Dinley, an LTAC member, argued the committee needs a coordinated plan and third-party facilitation to align stakeholders: "We need to step back, figure out what we are, and develop a plan," he said. Members discussed recent examples from other cities (Union Gap, Prosser) and estimated a study could cost from $10,000 to $20,000 or more, depending on scope.

The committee asked staff to locate previous policy documents and minutes about an earlier convention-center set-aside and to reconcile year-end balances to determine available funds. Members also suggested building a draft RFP and a committee-provided scorecard for evaluating applications; staff agreed to seek examples and return recommended language.

The committee noted a shrinking lodging-tax collector base in Sunnyside — with a few hotels and an RV park currently reporting tax collections — and discussed outreach to additional short-term rental or B&B operators to broaden the tax base for LTAC funding.

Next steps: LTAC members will provide input on an RFP scope, staff will review past policy and minutes and prepare a draft RFP and budget estimate, and the committee expects to present a recommendation to city council when funding and scope are clarified.