Shinnston has NO "bed tax". When the Legislature authorized it, there was no lodging facility in City Limits so why pay to have the Ordinance drawn up (they never thought of a B & B opening). They also never thought I would last, so they did not enact it when I opened. They were about to, at MY urging several years later when a neighboring city destroyed the COUNTY CVB. Then the County Seat city opened a CVB - little boys peeing contest. I told the Council to stop the Ordinance because who were we going to give half to? And the guests are NOT knocking down my doors to save 6%.
We have an identity and brand - but we got it through grants. There are grants for that sort of thing, just not for brick & mortar projects. We got a grant for Shop Local partnering with WVU - the students did the promotion work. During the good weather months our shopkeepers have Girls Night Out on a Thursday once a month.
Each shopkeeper has a nibble food or dessert or a wine tasting and is open until 9 that night. We are in the process of having a stage built on the open space that is eventually going to be our Community center. Council passed it Monday night - BECAUSE it is not going to cost the City anything. Business - including me (I already wrote the check for $100)- is coming up with the $2500 he needs for the materials ans "slave labor" will build it (that is how things get done here). The person behind this is our "sound guy" for events here. The plan is to have Wind Down Wednesdays with someone performing every Wednesday - garage bands, up & coming band on tour (he knows them), etc. Our Community Development Director gets donations/sponsorships from the gas companies, the banks (not all are FHLB), and County Commission, and companies big & small to pay for our summer programs at the Park - Improv, singers, Shakespeare. We also have an Arts & Crafts Festival, Arts Walk, Frontier Days (all downtown), Citywide Yard Sale, and of course, the Shinnston Community Band Independence Concert at the Park.
Tell your City Manager there are grants through the Federal Home Loan Banks (they MUST do community involvement), Main Street, internships with colleges and universities..... Counting the %^&*( cats someone keeps feeding, we have a population of about 2300 - and NO Harvester..