In an unexpected move by the Sweetwater County Commissioners, the commissioners almost defeated the lodging tax initiative by not acting at all.
Initially when the resolution was reviewed, chairman Reid West asked for a motion twice, no one would make a motion and the resolution died because the commission failed to act on it.
However, after a short recess and realizing the initiative would die and not be placed on the general election ballot if they failed to act on a resolution, the commissioners approved a resolution for lodging tax to be placed on the ballot. The vote was not unanimous though, 4-1. Commissioner Wally Johnson voted against the motion stating he didn’t want the tax to increase and he couldn’t support it.
“This vote was important to me,” Johnson said after the meeting.
The resolution passed, although the commissioners all agreed it was worded oddly. A portion of the resolution states the commission will support “the continuation of the existing county-wide 3 percent lodging tax, with an increase of 1 percent.”
Jenissa Meredith, executive director Sweetwater County Joint Travel and Tourism Board, explained she simplly used the wording from the 2014 initiative and changed it to reflect this year’s request. She said she realize the way its worded she risks losing the whole tax if the voters don’t support it. Meredith said the increase in the tax would allow for the group to provide guided tours in Sweetwater County.
She said they would hire someone for the seasonal position, which would allow them to provide tours like the other counties provide to big tour companies.
Meredith said the tax doesn’t really impact locals unless they are staying overnight at a hotel or motel in town.
Mark Anselmi, Best Western Outlaw Inn owner, said he doesn’t buy the story of it not impacting people locally. He said they have local companies who rent rooms for workers, including Rocky Mountain Power, Halliburton and Schlumberger. He said they have to pay the lodging tax as do other local companies paying for employees to stay in hotels.
He suggested Meredith and the board wait until the Wyoming Legislature decides what it wants to do about a state-wide lodging tax before moving forward with the increase. He said the legislators were talking about a 4 percent state-wide lodging tax.
Meredith said she has been the director for 11 years and the Legislature has had a proposed bill to implement a state-wide lodging tax every year, but nothing comes of it.
As for local industries paying the lodging tax, Meredith said if the employees stay longer than 30 days they are excluded from the tax.
Anselmi said they don’t stay on weekends so they wouldn’t meet the 30-day exclusion.
Meredith said all the other municipalities, including Rock Springs, Green River, Wamsutter and Superior, had approved the resolution without many questions and were very supportive.
“I did not see this coming at all,” Meredith said.
The Commissioners decided to table the issue when they realized the tax initiative would end at the meeting.
After reconvening and seeking statute advice from their attorney, the Commissioners came up with possible solutions, such as just putting it on the ballot at a 3 percent initiative, but in the end they decided to just pass the resolution and let the voters in Sweetwater County decide whether or not they will support a 4 percent lodging tax.
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