The Riverside City Council made several donations using the city’s hotel/motel tax funds at this weeks meeting. The council donated $10,000 to the YMCA of Washington County to administer Camp Highland, an eight week summer program for local children this summer. Paws and More Animal Shelter’s request of $2,500 was granted by the council, the shelter took in 695 animals in 2015 up from 608 in 2014. The council granted $5,000 to the project to build a statue of Captain James T. Kirk in Riverside. The project is expected to cost up to $40,000.

The hotel/motel tax was implemented in 2006 with a 7% tax on hotel rooms in Riverside. Riverside City Clerk Lory Young says, the tax brings in about $180,000 per year in revenue to the city.