A city-county advisory committee is floating a plan that would steer most of Columbus' primary tourism marketing dollars away from the region’s arts council and toward Experience Columbus, and then try to refill the arts pot with a new county cigarette tax. The Funding Review Advisory Committee, or FRAC, is pitching the shift as a way to bolster convention and visitor marketing in the face of budget gaps, while arts leaders warn it could gut a core source of grants and programming. The proposal now heads into the political arena and any new tobacco levy could ultimately land on the ballot.
What FRAC recommended
According to a report by the City of Columbus, FRAC reviewed how hotel and motel bed taxes, admissions fees and other local revenue streams are currently divvied up among human services, cultural arts and tourism. The committee's final report lays out a mix of options meant to strengthen travel and tourism marketing while identifying new or revised levies and allocations that could keep long-standing community investments intact.
How much money is at stake
Under the committee's recommended baseline, Experience Columbus would see its share of the hotel and motel tax jump from 43% to 72%. The Greater Columbus Arts Council's current 29% allocation would be removed from the bed tax formula, with FRAC instead suggesting a Franklin County cigarette tax, estimated at 30 cents per pack, that the committee says could generate about $20 million per year by 2030. The report also points to local financial pressures: GCAC reported approximately $28.6 million in annual revenue in 2024, with nearly $8.5 million coming from the bed tax; Experience Columbus told the panel it has run a budget deficit for three straight years and is seeking roughly $15 million more per year, about 80% of which would go to sales and marketing; and the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority is planning about $500 million in venue upgrades. Those figures and the committee's recommendations were outlined in FRAC's final report and local coverage by Columbus Underground.
Arts leaders push back
Arts advocates say pulling bed tax dollars from GCAC is not a harmless re-shuffle, but a direct hit to grants, public art projects and festivals that lean on steady local funding. "Columbus’ current arts funding model is a nationally recognized success," said Jami Goldstein, GCAC's chief creative officer, who added that the council will review FRAC's options to help guide policymakers, as reported by Columbus Underground.
Next steps for policymakers
Any change to how these dollars are carved up will require formal review and approval by city and county leaders. A new cigarette tax would also need sign-off from voters. FRAC's recommendation calls for a long-term replacement funding source to be in place for the arts and related investments before any shift of the bed tax takes effect. For now, elected officials and nonprofit groups have a window to submit analysis, testimony and counterproposals as the report moves into the budget and legislative process.
What to watch
Expect council hearings, county-level discussion and plenty of public comment in the coming weeks. Those meetings will determine whether any of FRAC's revenue ideas actually move forward. If adopted, the changes would reroute a reliable local revenue stream and reshape arts grantmaking and tourism marketing for years to come.
Read the report
The Funding Review Advisory Committee's full report and recommendations are available through the City of Columbus. Residents can view and download the document for a detailed look at the scenarios now on the table.
