ThisWeek CW 10/9/2014

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2014/10/06/awarding-bed-tax-grants-council-ponders-application-and-scoring-changes.html

Canal Winchester City Council is hoping a newly drafted application and new scoring matrix will streamline the process for awarding bed-tax grants this year.

At the Sept. 29 Committee of the Whole meeting, council members and city Finance Director Amanda Jackson discussed changes to the process, which will now focus on individual projects per application, and will be scored based on four primary criteria.

The proposed revisions need council approval before they would go into effect.

“The proposed timeline under the new guidelines is for applications to be submitted by Nov. 31,” Jackson said. “Applications will be reviewed and a recommendation made to council for funding in December and funds will be mailed to awardees in January.”

Councilman Rick Deeds, who worked with Councilwoman Bobbie Mershon and Jackson to develop the new application and scoring process, said he hopes the changes will help council better understand specifically how the money will be spent.

“We’re looking at doing this project-based approach so you don’t get a laundry list of things they want us to pay for,” Deeds said. “Instead, we want to have this as one project at a time.”

Deeds also thanked Jackson for putting together the new process.

The new application process states that projects eligible for funding “must enhance the city of Canal Winchester for its residents and visitors. Projects that promote Canal Winchester to visitors are highly encouraged.”

The new guidelines allow applicants to submit up to three individual requests per year, for “three unique projects.” A maximum of $2,000 is available to each applying organization.

For 2014, council awarded slightly more than $20,000 in bed tax grants. The money is generated by the city’s 6-percent bed tax, which is shared between the grant program and Destination: Canal Winchester, which receives $30,000 each year from the taxes.

Scoring under the new process would take into consideration the completeness of the application; the expected impact of the project on city residents and visitors; the availability of other funding to help support the proposed project; and the ability of the project to continue or expand in future years.

One concern about the new scoring process was raised by Councilman Will Bennett, who said he was concerned about all of these factors being scored equally.

“Is there any weighting to the score sheet? Like if we believe something will be more beneficial to the city promotion than, say, something like completeness of application?” Bennett asked.

Mershon said the scoring is not weighted at this time, but that might be something to consider in the future, after giving the current proposal a try.

Deeds noted this proposal is still a draft and could be amended before council adopts it.

The next city council meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 20, at Town Hall, 10 N. High St.