News release from the BACC. The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC), after a thorough review of the proposal, has voted to strongly endorse the County’s Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) Measure 6-152, and urges your support for this county-wide opportunity. Tourism is an ever increasing part of Oregon’s economy. Since the 1% statewide transient room tax was authorized in 2003, the state’s tourism pull has grown dramatically. In Coos County in 2014, travelers spend $253.2 million in total. $238.7 million was for commodity purchases like lodging, food, fuel and entertainment. Our direct industry employment generated by travel spending was 3,060 jobs. So Tourism today, is an important element in the Coos County economy. The Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) will generate about $2,700,000 dollars annually. By state law, 70% or about $1,900,000 of this will go to promoting tourism in Coos County. In addition to the money dedicated to tourism promotion, the County will receive the remaining 30% or about $800,000 per year to be dedicated to public safety. Revenues generated by the TLT will come almost entirely from out of county visitors. Very little will come from Coos County residents, and then only from those using overnight lodging facilities. Utilizing a county-wide TLT will enable us to actively promote the many vacation, recreational and educational assets of Coos County, to the interested traveling public, in a coordinated way that involves all jurisdictions. Let’s vote YES on this opportunity!
