Editor,
I am writing to express support for the Lodging Tax, it’s Board of Directors and to clear up some apparent misinformation submitted by Leroy Stephenson in his letter to the editor on Thursday, June 19th. (Editor’s note: the letter was submitted to the Rawlins Daily Times and the Saratoga Sun. Since Stephenson is a candidate for mayor in Riverside, the Saratoga Sun is not printing the letter.)
Before I begin, let me first disclose that I have previously served on the Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC) Board of Directors (from mid-2008 to mid-2012); and this past winter, I helped out temporarily and part time in the CCVC office when the previous executive director quit without notice.
The CCVC Board has been studying the issue of whether to raise the 2 cent Lodging Tax to 3 cents in the upcoming general election and the thrust of the article in the paper on Saturday, June 14, was to raise awareness that the Board was (wisely) seeking the input of taxpayers before making a decision. In speaking with a board member today (Thursday, June 19th), I was told that the CCVC Board, during their regular meeting on Wednesday, June 18th, had decided not to ask for an additional one cent.
However, the CCVC Board of Directors will ask voters to once again approve the Two Cent Lodging Tax that is levied on transient visitors to Carbon County. The revenue raised by this tax has allowed the promotion of Carbon County as a whole, and has also provided funding for many local events that draw visitors to our beautiful and diverse County. Without this funding for advertising, prize money, museum events, organization events, etc., many of the things that draw visitors from out of state might not be possible. These events fill up hotels, motels and campgrounds, not to mention restaurants, bars and stores.
While Mr. Stephenson is correct that cities or towns can assess their own Lodging Tax, it is only the largest communities in the state that do so on a “city or town basis.” If a county wide lodging tax is in place, you cannot have a community tax, per state statute W.S. 39-15-203(a)(ii)(A).
“City lodging tax revenues are administered by the city and not by a joint powers board. Most cities set up an advisory board of interested parties or in some cases, establish a non-profit corporation to administer the lodging tax revenue. .. If you are a member of a city-wide board, you will need to check your board’s authorizing ordinance and bylaws for specific guidelines. These documents must still follow the intent of the statute authorizing the lodging tax. Expenditures must be used to promote travel and tourism and a majority of the board must represent the travel and tourism industry.” ~ WTIC Lodging Tax Manual, Chapter 3.
Because of the small population of Carbon County’s ten incorporated communities, (which are signatories to the current Joint Powers Agreement governing the tax) it was determined that the best way Carbon County could compete with the larger cities and towns for tourists would be to pool our resources and promote the wonderful diversity of Carbon County. Riverside and Encampment combined do not generate enough lodging tax revenue to meet the grant needs of the organizations and entities in those communities.
The article in Saturday’s Daily Times was somewhat misleading in the way it expressed how and where money is spent. When Executive Director Leslie Jefferson said “We spend about one-third of our budget going out to marketing events, which try to bring people into our county,” she was referring to the amount of money awarded in grants to fund local events. This is apparent because in the next sentence, she explains that non-profit entities seeking grants can receive either $2,000 for a one day event or up to $4,000 for a two day event and up to $4,000 for general advertising. She was not referring to the expenses of attending travel/trade shows, but to the amount of money awarded via grant applications to local organizations. Another third is spent for overall marketing of Carbon County through the Visitors Council, via internet, web page, ad purchases for general promotion of the county.
Yes, Board members and staff do travel as part of their duties or for continuing education and are reimbursed for travel, meals and lodging. The reimbursement rates are in accord with rates established by the IRS. Board members are unpaid volunteers and receive no payment for donating their time and talent to serving on the board. Attendance at trade/travel shows, especially those in conjunction with the Wyoming Travel and Tourism Board, is a cooperative effort between the state agency and local visitors boards. Each contributes to the overall expense and it is the opposite of what Mr. Stephenson alleges, “an expensive duplication of effort.” It is, in fact, a cooperative effort among all tourism agencies and the increase in Carbon County lodging tax revenues proves that marketing efforts are successful. However, the expense of attending those shows is minimal in the overall budget.
Yes, the Board decided to charge for making hard copies of documents. It is time-consuming and takes staff away from regular duties. Anyone can go into the CCVC office and examine public documents on the premises without charge, however. I think charging for copies is standard practice in most cases.
The CCVC Board and it’s executive director meet monthly. Yes, tax monies are spent to provide a meal during a day-long meeting, which many of the board members must sacrifice wages to attend, I will note. The December meeting has been held in the evening, so the meal is dinner instead of lunch. No alcoholic beverages are purchased with tax monies, nor do the spouses of board members or staff receive a “free meal,” but purchase their own. Bonuses are awarded in December to the staff for their good work throughout the season. These are minimal, but very important to the staff because they know their hard work is appreciated. I hardly think it qualifies as abusive as implied by Mr. Stephenson’s letter.
It’s always easier to be an “armchair quarterback,” and to second guess the decisions made by others. Mr. Stephenson is certainly free to vote no on the renewal of the 2 cent lodging tax that is assessed on visitors to our county. However, I would remind him that one of the reasons his campground does so well is because of the successful marketing efforts of the Carbon County Visitors Council and the hard work of the staff. He wasn’t here in the lean years, when tourism was an after-thought, instead of the second largest industry in the state.
I will be voting YES on the 2 cent lodging tax renewal because tourism is great for my business and the businesses in my community. I love the events that are co-sponsored by the 2 Cent Lodging Tax. I hope anyone who likes to attend our local events, or who belongs to an organization that benefits from the 2 Cents tax will also vote YES and express their support for it.
Sincerely,
Connie Patterson
Saratoga, Wyoming
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