As revenue flowing into local governments ebbs, more communities are looking to visitors to pay bills.
At least seven counties will ask voters this November to double or triple the local lodging tax outside cities and towns to pay for roads, police, housing and early child care. These are the first counties to deploy a law passed this year — Senate Bill 1247 — that allows voters to raise county lodging taxes to 6%, up from 2%, to pay for infrastructure, conservation, emergency services and sustainable tourism policies.
Commissioners in Chaffee, Custer, Gilpin, Routt and Park counties have recently finalized plans for November ballot questions seeking voter approval to triple the local lodging tax to 6%. Eagle County voters will decide whether to double the lodging tax to 4% and Ouray County voters will weigh a first-ever lodging tax of 6%…