For those of you living in Teton Valley, WY, there’s an important measure on the ballot next week. If you’ve already made it to the polls for early or absentee voting, good for you. If not, remember that next Tuesday Nov. 6 is Election Day.
VIDEO: Why the Lodging Tax Matters to Teton County
This year, Jackson Hole is asking its citizens whether to renew the 2% Lodging Tax, a measure designed to use0 money that tourists pay to stay here for our own good. In other words, it’s a tax that those of us who live here never need to pay. 40 percent of the money collected goes straight towards community improvement like Fire & EMS, Parks & Pathways, and local public transport. The rest of the money goes towards funding visitor services, crucial for the health of a community that relies so heavily on tourism.
"We have seen that the most impactful marketing these days is organic and social. We'll continue to experience visitor growth with or without the tax. The majority of these dollars go towards infrastructure and community services. If we don’t have the funding to support and evolve things like public transportation I think it will only get worse. I feel the pain of being overcrowded, but that is a reality, and we need to put resources towards managing that," says TGR co-founder and Teton Valley local Steve Jones.
In addition, longtime Jackson local and professional skier Griffin Post shares a few thoughts on why the Lodging Tax matters. Listen to what he has to say, and remember to get out and vote on November 6th.
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Pdrhnd59
October 31st, 2018
As a tourist, 2% is not going to deter me from coming.
The real problem is ski towns (Former ski bum in the Vail Valley…) is that the trophy homes drive the cost of living to the moon.
Suggestion: Levy a hefty property tax on real estate, grant a homestead exemption on the first $250k of value if the property provides jobs or houses people with jobs in the area. The principle here is that the trophy homeowners be forced to pay a share of that whey consume and a penalty for driving out working folks.