LAWTON - The FISTA Development Trust Authority will receive part of the money in the City of Lawton’s economic development fund for FISTA to use in fiscal year 2027.
The authority voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize the reallocation of $25,887 in hotel/motel tax dollars from the economic development fund to FISTA. The money was originally earmarked for FISTA in fiscal year 2026 but was not spent before the year ended.
The FISTA Innovation Park, located in Central Plaza in downtown Lawton, is a hub for defense contractors working with the U.S. Army at Fort Sill.
The proceeds from the hotel/motel tax are intended for projects that promote economic development and tourism, said FISTA President and CEO Krista Ratliff. She said FISTA’s work boosts the local economy and promotes tourism.
“FISTA actually
meets both those requirements,” she said.
The Lawton City Council appropriated $25,887 in hotel/motel tax proceeds to FISTA while the city was developing its budget for FY 2026, according to a resolution that the council approved in August. That money had not been spent before the end of the year.
The city transfers any unspent hotel/motel tax money, except for those dollars which are specifically exempt, into the economic development fund at the end of each fiscal year.
The Lawton City Council may approve spending from that fund, without a joint resolution with the Lawton-Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce, when the expenditures are made to city-created entities or organizations that benefit the city.
Eric Swanson is an award-winning journalist with more than 20years’ experience covering local government and criminal justice in Oklahoma, North Dakota and Kansas. He can be reached at eric. swanson@swoknews.com.