Aug 7, 2017 at 6:12 pm | Print View <\/p>\n
CEDAR RAPIDS Tourism, entertainment, culture, economic development, and subsidizing city owned facilities, including debt at the DoubleTree Hotel, are top priorities in plans to award nearly $4 million to private organizations and city run enterprises. <\/p>\n
The plans are up for approval by the Cedar Rapids City Council, which meets at noon Tuesday at City Hall, 101 First St. SE. <\/p>\n
The City Council is being asked to approve distribution of $3.7 million generated through hotel motel tax collections to more than two dozen organizations. Also, in separate decisions, the city would renew four commitments worth $260,000 to economic development and business-minded organizations. <\/p>\n
The city levies a 7 percent tax on consumer lodging at hotels and motels, which is the maximum allowed under state law. This is on top of the 5 percent state excise tax on room rentals. <\/p>\n
Cedar Rapids has seen its hotel motel tax budget increase 34 percent since fiscal 2012, when the budget was $2.76 million, to $3.7 million this fiscal year. <\/p>\n
Cedar Rapids divides the hotel motel tax allocation with about 55 percent or $2 million to primary city needs and the remainder $1.7 million to private applicants on a three-year cycle. <\/p>\n
Primary allocations include debt payments at the Museum of Art ($35,700), Cedar Rapids Ice Arena ($294,720), city convention center ($250,000), a stair enclosure project at The Roosevelt ($94,490), the DoubleTree Hotel ($450,000), and the convention center parking ramp ($110,355). <\/p>\n
Other primary allocations would include the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance getting $120,000, $391,978 to subsidize operating deficits at the U.S. Cellular Center and convention center, $100,000 for Ice Arena equipment, $123,659 to subsidize Ice Arena operations and $25,000 to subsidize Ushers Ferry Historic Village operations. <\/p>\n
Application-based awards, which are reviewed every three years, are recommended for a mix of 24 civic organizations covering interests such as the outdoors, theater, history and entertainment. The top recipient would be $1 million for the Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, or GO Cedar Rapids. <\/p>\n
Others include $106,632 to the All Iowa Agricultural Association, or Hawkeye Downs, $80,000 to the Freedom Festival, $50,000 to Brucemore Inc., $25,000 the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance Foundation, $39,000 to the African-American Historical Museum, $40,500 to Theatre Cedar Rapids, $39,500 to the Indian Creek Nature Center and $45,000 to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. <\/p>\n
The current three-year cycle is coming to an end this year meaning these allocations will be reviewed next year. <\/p>\n
In separate votes, city staff is recommending memorandums of understanding and funding worth $100,000 each for the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and Entrepreneurial Development Center. Memorandums and funding worth $50,000 for the New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative for the Iowa Start Up Accelerator and $10,000 for the Kirkwood Small Business Development Center also are up for separate votes. <\/p>\n
The memorandums and funding cover fiscal 2018, or July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. <\/p>\n
l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com<\/a> <\/p>\n We make it easy to stay connected: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n See the original post: <\/p>\n Cedar Rapids plans to award $4 million to entertainment organizations and city owned hotel complex - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and...<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Aug 7, 2017 at 6:12 pm | Print View CEDAR RAPIDS Tourism, entertainment, culture, economic development, and subsidizing city owned facilities, including debt at the DoubleTree Hotel, are top priorities in plans to award nearly $4 million to private organizations and city run enterprises. Continue reading