COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs is drawing thousands of visitors from across Colorado and around the world, bringing significant economic impact to the area while utilizing city resources.
Most of the costs for city services like police and fire during the tournament are covered by a special tax paid by tourists, not local taxpayers.
The event organizers received funding from the city's Lodging and Automobile Rental Tax (LART), which collects 1% on car rentals and 2% on hotels from visitors to the area.
"If you rank the top 150 cities in the United States, it ranks at like 144 at least a couple years ago. So it's very, very low," said Councilwoman Nancy Henjum, who serves as a liaison for the LART board and city council.
"The purpose is pretty simple. It's to drive tourism and our local economy," Henjum said.
This year, the U.S. Senior Open received $507,500 in LART funding, with the majority allocated to local city services, including police and fire. This represents a slight decrease from the $535,000 provided when the event was last held in Colorado Springs in 2018.
"And that's really appropriate. Right. Because those are the services that the city provides is, you know, police and traffic and so forth. So that's a really appropriate use of those dollars," Henjum said.
Ed Mate, Executive Director of the Colorado Golf Association, emphasized that the funding is an investment rather than a donation.
"It's not a charitable donation- it's an investment in the business of Colorado Springs- it's just good business," Mate said.
"You know with all of those visitors you're getting hotel rooms, you're getting restaurants, you're getting visitors and that's just great for all of us locals to drive our economy."
While the U.S. Senior Open received substantial funding, other local events, including the Western Street Breakfast, Festival of Lights Parade, and Fiestas Patrias, saw their LART funding cut in the past budget year.
Watch Our Previous Coverage About LART Funding Cuts
Event organizers expect the tournament to generate more than $24 million in economic impact for the Colorado Springs area.
"I think when you have a major championship in your backyard, you get to see golf played at its highest level, and now there's a lot more people that are actually trying and seeing how hard this game is and might appreciate seeing the best in the world do it," Mate said.
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