Topeka's Combat Air Museum gets more than it asked for — with money going to highway signs
Topeka's Combat Air Museum asked the Shawnee County Commission Thursday for $6,655 in revenue from the county's transient guest tax.
It ended up getting $7,000.
Commissioners unanimously approved Commissioner Kevin Cook's motion to award the museum that amount in next year's revenue from the tax.
"I'm sure that they'll find a way to spend the extra money," Cook said.
Thursday's vote calls the rest of the revenue from the tax, anticipated to be around $54,000, to go to Stormont Vail Events Center.
More:Donations brighten hangars — and moods — at Topeka’s Combat Air Museum
Undesignated bed tax revenue has risen to $61,000 a year
The county imposes a 7% transient guest tax, also known as the "bed tax," upon guests who stay in the one motel located in unincorporated Shawnee County, which is the Super 8 at 5922 S.W. Topeka Blvd.
The county uses 1% of that revenue to help cover costs of a past improvement project at the Sunflower Soccer facility at 4829 N.W. 17th.
Commissioners vote each December on how to use the remaining, undesignated 6%.
Bed tax income in recent years has crept up to the point where this year's undesignated revenue from the tax will total about $61,000, commissioners were told Thursday by Betty Greiner, the county's administrative services director.
The county over the "past few years" has annually awarded all undesignated revenue from the bed to Stormont Vail Events Center, she said.
Kellen Seitz, general manager of Stormont Vail Events Center, asked in a recent memorandum that the county once again provide it all the undesignated bed tax revenue for 2023, adding that the money would be used to promote that center to large convention producers, event promoters and other event organizers.
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Combat Air Museum seeing an increased number of visitors
Commissioners also received a request seeking $6,655 in bed tax money in a memo from Gene Howerter, chairman of the board of directors of the Combat Air Museum.
The museum is at 7016 S.E. Forbes Ave. in hangars 602 and 604 at the south end of Topeka Regional Airport at Forbes Field. It has been in operation since 1977.
The Combat Air Museum is seeing an increased number of visitors, told commissioners Thursday.
"We have already exceeded 11,000 paying guests and will finish the year with our best attendance in the last decade," he told them in a memorandum sent prior to that morning's meeting.
Those at the museum think one key reason for that increase is new signage, which was put up recently along area highways, the memo said.
It said the bed tax revenue the museum was requesting would be used to arrange for it to maintain a large advertising sign along Interstate 70 west of Topeka.
The sign would be bigger and more expensive than the others that stand along area roadways advertising the museum.
Howerter's memo stressed that the museum asks its visitors how they learned about the museum and closely watches their responses.
"It is our intention to monitor the effectiveness of this sign for one year to determine if this advertisement is cost effective," it said.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
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This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Shawnee County Commission awards funding to Topeka's Combat Air Museum
