The Fredericksburg City Council recently announced the 2024 timeline and debuted a new policy for Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) grant requests.
Changes from 2023 include applications will not be accepted after the deadline (May 1, 2024) and funding will only be for events in the July 1-Dec. 31, 2024 timeframe.
“Some events are covered under last year’s funding as that timeframe was May 1, 2023-April 30, 2024,” according to city officials. “If events are not covered (May 1-June 30, 2024), those organizations should apply for grants this year and the City Council will consider those applications as well.”
These changes will allow grant funding going forward to be based on actual HOT collections rather than projections.
As in the past, the council reserves a portion of the city’s HOT collections to support events, programs or facilities that are reasonably likely to directly enhance the Fredericksburg tourism and lodging industry.
The process will open with an orientation meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 11 in the Fire Department Training Room located at 126 W. Main St.
New HOT fund process
Orientation meeting 2 p.m., Thursday, April 11 at the Fire Department Training Room, 126 W. Main St.
After this meeting, applications will begin to be accepted.
Entities that received funding in 2023 are required to submit an Annual Financial Report by April 30. The 2024 application deadline is May 1 and applications will not be accepted after the deadline.
Applications will be reviewed by the city council, city staff and the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau to ensure completeness and the suitability based on state law requirements.
The council will then hold a special meeting on May 30 to interview applicants, before holding its regular meeting on June 4 to award funding.
The HOT grant request process for 2025 will open in the fall of 2024 for the January-December timeframe.
INFORMATION
For more information on the Hotel Occupancy Tax funding request process, visit www.fbgtx.org/598/ Hotel-Occupancy-Tax-Funding-Requests.
