Prowers Lodging Tax Panel Begins New Year

Prowers County Courthouse

The Prowers Lodging Tax Panel approved one of three funding requests presented to them during their first meeting of 2012, Tuesday, January 17.  Ken Brooks, representing the Lamar Elks Lodge, had his request for $2,000 granted to help promote the annual Little Britches Rodeo at the fairgrounds arena this spring.  Brooks said the date had been moved back to May 5-6 due to a scheduling conflict with another event.  He anticipates between 100-120 contestants from the region, as well as between 250-300 persons attending the annual event.  The Lamar Elks have hosted for Little Britches Rodeo for the past decade. 

Panel members tabled the other two requests pending additional information.  One was for $499.99 from the town of Granada to purchase a temporary welcome sign for the town.   The other request was from Mary Root of SECORHT also known as Plains and Canyons.  The tourism promotion group helps preserve and promote the heritage, culture and natural resources of the immediate six county region of southeast Colorado.  SECORHT has requested $10,000 annually for the past several years from the Lodging Tax Panel.  Root said those donations have helped generate over $1 Million into the general economy of the region.  Advertising funding has been used to purchase a three page ‘advertorial’ highlighting southeast Colorado in the magazine, Audubon, which Root said, has a readership of 1.9 million subscribers. 

The panel received funding for the third quarter of last year of $3,151.54 and is carrying over $22,000 into 2012 from the previous year.  The Lodging Tax Panel uses monies generated from a 2% lodging tax paid by motel users in Prowers County.  Those funds are used to market and promote tourism related activities within Prowers County and to attract visitors to those events.  Funding requests may be made through the PCDI office at 336-2384.  The next Panel meeting will be held Tuesday, February 21.

By Russ Baldwin