By Roger Lanse

After questioning representatives of several local organizations requesting lodger's tax funds, and after some mild scolding to those submitting requests for proposals that failed to meet stated requirements for completeness, clarity and timeliness, the Silver City Town Council at its June 18 special meeting, went into executive session to discuss the merits of the 12 proposals for funding recommended by the Lodger's Tax Advisory Board.

Pursuant to state law, the council must call an executive session when a decision regarding purchases exceeding $2,500 that can be made from only one source, in this case, the lodger's tax funds.

When they emerged from executive session, councilors, in open session, voted to approve funding from lodger's tax receipts for most of the 12 organizations which submitted an RFP. For the organizations listed in the following two paragraphs the first figure is the amount funded in FY 2014-15; the second figure the amount requested for FY 2015-16; the third figure is the amount recommended by the LTAB for FY 2015-16, and the last is the amount approved by council for FY 2015-16.

Fort Bayard Historic Preservation: $2,000, $3,000, $2,500, $1,500; Copper Country Cruizers: $2,000, $2,500, $1,500, $1,250; Mimbres Region Arts Council: $34,000, $45,000, $30,000, $34,000; MainStreet Project: $12,500, $19,660, $10,000, $8,000; San Vicente Artists: $4,000, $6,800, $1,000, $0; Grant County Rolling Stones: $3,000, $3,500, $3,000, $3,000; and Silver City Art Association: $3,500, $5,500, $5,000, $5,000.

Other organizations funded were; Tour of the Gila: $30,000, $40,000, $30,000, $30,000; Silver City Arts and Cultural District: $104,500, $135,000, $110,500, $111,750; Zia: $0, $3,000, $1,000, $0; Southwest Festival of the Written Word: $0, $4,800, $3,000, $3,000; and Gila River Festival: $2,500, $3,000, $2,500, $2,500.

Councilors instructed the Silver City Arts and Cultural District to assist the San Vicente Artists, Zia and Copper Country Cruizers saying that was the reason SCACD was awarded a little more.

According to Sandra Hicks, chairman, and Michele Carrillo, member, of the LTAB, lodger's tax funds are used, generally, to promote and draw people to Silver City and to enrich the lives of town residents.