Letters

Sports events worth the investment

Concerning Nina Culver’s Nov. 15 article about the debate over allocation of lodging tax funds from the Spokane Valley. She reports that the majority of the lodging tax committee recommends giving nearly all the city’s money to organizations not located in Spokane Valley.

Although accurate, it infers that the city is not investing in its own community by funding organizations outside the city limits.

The Spokane Sports Commission has committed a significant percentage of our budget to promoting events directly benefiting the Valley. The city’s 2012 lodging tax investment in our organization is less than 10 percent of our budget, yet the return on investment is far greater.

The Valley is a great destination for events promoted by our organization. We have used Plantes Ferry Sports Complex, Hub Sports Center, Avista Stadium, Valley golf courses, and even Lake Coeur d’Alene (Ironman) to stage events all directly benefiting the Valley.

Spokane Valley has been a great partner and always supported our organization. We respect the allocation process and no matter what level of lodging tax funds the City Council ultimately approves for our agency, we will continue to bring great sporting events to the Valley.

And yes, our offices are located in the city of Spokane.

Eric Sawyer

Spokane Regional Sports Commission