You can’t fault city of Kissimmee officials for asking county government to pitch in money to help fund Lakefront Park’s renovation using tourist development tax money. The question is whether there is any funding available for that purpose, given all the projects already in front of the Osceola County Commission for consideration.

The Kissimmee lakefront is used by all county residents on occasion and the park, due to its proximity to the downtown Kissimmee area and Lake Tohopekaliga, could be a destination for tourists interested in taking in the local sites while visiting the theme parks. That would promote additional heads in beds, which is the ultimate goal of tourist tax spending.

Kissimmee Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, who sits on the Osceola County Tourist Development Council, hit the nail on the head when she said the council, which recommends to the County Commission how to spend lodging tax revenue, is already stretching its resources to the limit while at the same time facing uncertainty over the future of the local tourism industry, given the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the potential for crude oil spoiling Central Florida beaches and coastal waterways.

Tourism tax revenue for the first seven months of the county’s fiscal year (which started Oct. 1), according to the latest report, is down 7.1 percent compared to the prior year, mainly due to the recession. Many tourists visiting the theme parks also visit the beaches on Central Florida’s east and west coasts and those same visitors may go elsewhere if oil comes ashore in any significant amount.

Would the county support helping to fund city of Kissimmee park improvements? As Kissimmee Commissioner Jerry Gemskie said, the only way to know for sure is to ask. Pretty much everyone else has.

For our part, using tourist tax money to help improve a park in Kissimmee – the county seat – would be justified, and we believe that tourists would visit the park and the rest of the downtown area, especially when festivals or events are held there. Having a SunRail station within easy walking distance of the park would be a plus. We also like the city-county partnership idea.

Our recommendation would be that the county not approve any major tourist tax spending until revenue begins improving and we have a clearer picture of the impact of the oil spill.