RAPZ / Restaurant Tax Board Meeting 03-13-2026

- The committee reviewed the 2026 RAPZ/restaurant tax application process and explained how the county administers the two funding sources, including eligibility rules, scoring, and how recommendations move to the County Council for final approval. - Staff reported there are 89 applications this year requesting just over $7 million, with about $5.4 million available, so the board will need to make significant cuts. There are 17 municipalities submitting applications and nine new applicants this cycle. - The board agreed to use a 0-to-5 scoring system for reviewing applications and discussed how to rank projects. Members supported discussing funding amounts during the review meeting rather than submitting dollar recommendations in advance. - The board also agreed to review applications in order of highest score to lowest score at the April decision meeting, rather than alphabetically, so higher-priority projects are considered first. - Members discussed the 31-month project completion deadline for awards approved in May 2026, with reimbursement requests due by December 31, 2028. Staff will send reminder emails to recipients whose awards are nearing expiration and continue tracking reimbursements and project status. - The board talked about whether to tighten extension policies, but members generally felt extensions have not been abused and have mostly been granted for legitimate delays such as COVID impacts, permitting issues, or volunteer-based construction timelines. - Members suggested applicants should be encouraged to submit bids or other documentation with their applications, especially for construction projects, so the board can better gauge whether projects are “shovel ready” and how much the applicant has invested up front. - Staff confirmed the executive is no longer on the board because the committee is now structured as a seven-member council-directed board to comply with state code. The change was explained as a correction to align with the legal requirements for the committee. - The board scheduled its application review meeting for Tuesday, April 21, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Staff will send calendar invitations and prepare the application books and online access for review before that date.