Because of the global pandemic and economic recession that took over most of 2020, Navarre Beach, like many tourist destinations, saw its tourism tax revenues plummet in March, April and May as beaches shut down and uncertainty about the coronavirus crippled vacation markets globally.
But curiously, by the end of the year Navarre Beach was bucking the trend seen throughout much of the rest of the Panhandle its tourism tax revenue was up almost 27% in October and 55% in November, a surge that helped soften the downturn seen at the beginning of the pandemic.
“We lost our money in March, April and May, but we still came in at $3.5 million for the whole year, which is only $400,000 less than the year prior,” Santa Rosa County tourism director Julie White said in an interview with the News Journal on Wednesday. “We would have made way over ($3.5 million) if we hadn’t been shut down in March, April and May, so we would have had a record-breaking year, over $4 million
Wapello Fire Department replacement effort boosted by LOST revenue
Jim Rudisill
for The Hawk Eye
WAPELLO A renewed effort to build a new fire station in Wapello received a financial shot in the arm last week from the city council, which agreed to transfer Local Option Sales Tax revenue to a capital improvement fund that could be used for the station’s construction.
Fire department and city officials have been trying for years to develop a plan to replace the current, nearly 50-year-old structure, but have been stymied by financial and other reasons.
A $1.7 million bond referendum was defeated by voters in 2017, although city council members at that time said residents they had talked with supported a new station, but not at that high of cost.
Wapello council considers funding for new fire station muscatinejournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from muscatinejournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Pella City Council received a presentation about the upcoming fiscal year budget following their regular meeting Tuesday.
An overview of upcoming major projects was also given, which includes completion of Pella Fiber, the ongoing planning for the South Central Regional Airport, infrastructure upgrades throughout the Central Business District–including replacement of sewer lines in the Oost Port Alley, renovation or new construction for the Pella Community Center, and Cole Commons, which is a proposed beautification project along Oskaloosa Street.
City administration also reviewed several projects made for the current fiscal year, which included some of the impacts expected due to COVID-19 and other factors. Hotel/motel tax, the indoor/outdoor aquatic center, and golf course are all expected to take hits this year however, $465,000 in CARES Act Funding and Local Option Sales Tax are anticipated to lead to slight revenue growth to counteract some of those losses. Due to a M
ATLANTIC â The Atlantic City Council agreed Wednesday to create a $100,000 Non-Profit Housing Rehabilitation Loan Fund in conjunction with Shift ATL, but not without some controversy over the details of how the fund was being created.
Last fall, the city entered into an agreement with the organization in an effort to improve the housing stock in the community. But the city did not allocate any funding at that time. Wednesday night the Council voted to create the fund to pursue that goal, but some council members questioned if the resolution was being ârushedâ through and not being properly considered.
âI feel like were throwing this together in a hurry,â Councilmember Kathy Somers said. âWe want to help, but weâre just making it up as we go.â