City Council Budget Workshop | June 9, 2026

The City of Columbia held a City Council Budget Workshop on June 9, 2026, focusing primarily on the fiscal year 2026-27 budget for special revenue funds including the hospitality tax, state accommodations tax, tourism development fee, and liquor rebate. Presentations were made by various committee chairs and city officials detailing revenue projections, allocations, and funding recommendations. The hospitality tax budget was proposed at $17.4 million, with a 10.5% increase in revenues, and allocations included $4.6 million for committee-approved external organizations and $3.2 million for line item agencies. The accommodations tax committee recommended allocating approximately $2.4 million to Experience Columbia and $432,000 to Lake Murray Country. Discussions also covered capital improvement requests from cultural organizations and the use of liquor rebate funds for park and recreational capital projects. The council considered consolidating some funding requests to optimize capital funding availability. Additionally, there was mention of upcoming contractual negotiations related to retail spaces and a Vista bid. The meeting included acknowledgments of committee efforts and highlighted tourism growth and marketing initiatives, including the use of AI chatbots and regional branding partnerships.