Cities vote more support to laser show promotion

Electric City’s council voted to give the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce $9,000, instead of the requested $6,000, to help promote the area’s new Laser Light Show on the west side of the mountains.

The chamber had outlined a media buy on the Seattle side of the state and had requested that each of the three cities, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Electric City, that collect hotel/motel tax monies, pony up $6,000 each.

At its last meeting, Grand Coulee voted $6,000, and last Tuesday night, May 13, Electric City, after considerable discussion, voted $9,000.

Coulee Dam had suggested that its $6,000 come from funds already given to the chamber this year. It was suggested that $4,000 be taken from funds given to put on the July 4 celebration and $2,000 be taken from $10,000 already allocated to the Ridge Riders.

The chamber had countered that those funds had already been allocated to other activities in the pipeline and this would short its efforts for an $18,000 media buy.

Electric City’s council agreed that there has to be a better way to allocate the hotel/motel tax monies. Several council members said they grew tired of having these issues come up all year long.

One council member, John Nordine, suggested that three-fourths of the hotel/motel tax monies that come in each year should automatically go to the chamber and thereby put an end to the stream of people who come to council meetings with requests for funds.

Then, he suggested, people could go to the chamber with their requests for hotel/motel tax funds.

Electric City receives about $65,000 a year in hotel/motel tax monies, more than the other two towns together.

The new Laser Light Show will debut at 10 p.m. May 24 on the face of Grand Coulee Dam.