Lawton City Council to set hotel-motel tax expenditures

Funding for December’s Holiday in the Park and next year’s fireworks extravaganza will be set into place today, if the City Council approves expenditures from the Hotel-Motel Tax Fund.

That revenue, generated by a tax on the rental of hotel, motel and short-term rental rooms in Lawton, is expected to generate $2,319,619 in the fiscal year that began July 1. Removing the $322,619 generated by the Tax Increment Financing District 2 (money that pays the downtown revitalization project infrastructure debt) means the council has $1.997 million to allocate to funding categories established by the council years ago.

The key is that under the ballot proposition approved by voters, those funds are restricted to expenditures that encourage, promote and foster conventions, tourism, industrial development and economic development in Lawton.

The largest part of the tax — almost 41 percent — is allocated to the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce, and Chamber President John Michael Montgomery is expected to present the chamber’s request for funding at today’s meeting.

Specific expenditures are proposed in a related agenda item. Allocations include 40.81 percent of the 2024-2025 revenue ($814,926) to the chamber; 19.08 percent ($381,026) to the Lawton Economic Development Corporation; 11.34 percent ($226,488) to the economic development fund; and 6.63 percent ($132,460) to the Lawton Enhancement Trust Authority.

The remaining 22.14 percent ($442,100) is designated to the tourism category, or entities and activities keyed toward bringing tourists to Lawton.

Those proposed allocations are: $100,000 to the Freedom Festival fireworks display; $80,000 to Holiday in the Park; $70,000 to Museum of the Great Plains; $50,100 to Lawton Farmers Market; $40,000 to Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra; $20,000 to the community Juneteenth celebration; $20,000 to Lawton Community Theatre; $25,000 to Lawton Heritage Association, which operates the Mattie Beal Home; and $37,000 to McMahon Auditorium Authority.