The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce is urging Lane County leaders to preserve the original intent of Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) funding (also referred to as the Transient Room Tax, or TRT) as the County is considering a proposal that would reallocate a portion of unassigned lodging tax revenue in its proposed FY2026–2027 budget.
Pre-empting a public hearing before the Lane County Budget Committee on May 5th, Springfield Chamber President and CEO Vonnie Mikkelsen submitted testimony expressing concern over a proposal to redirect unallocated TLT funds away from future tourism-related facility investment. Many of the Chamber’s partners in the hospitality and tourism industries submitted similar testimony. View the Chamber’s full testimony here.
The Chamber emphasized the importance of preserving the long-term economic development purpose behind the countywide 2% lodging tax increase implemented in 2023. The proposed budget would redirect approximately half of both existing and future TRT resources away from tourism-related facility and economic development investments. These include $4.8 million in unallocated TLT reserves for rural patrol services and an additional $1.7 million in reserves, along with one percentage point of ongoing annual TLT revenue for courthouse and law enforcement facility improvements…