Election day is tomorrow, and the fate of the Jackson Hole Lodging Tax is in Teton County voters' hands. Put plainly, this measure is a tax for Teton County locals that they don’t have to pay. It's designed so that the plethora of tourists visiting contribute to the wellbeing and infrastructure of the community. For example, if a hotel charges a guest $200 for a room, $4 of that is funneled back to a fund for the town. 40% of that fund goes towards the Fire & EMS, Parks & Pathways, and public transportation. The remaining 60% goes toward visitor services which seek to manage the heavy influx of tourism our community receives. None of that money gets appropriated to summer tourism marketing. It is entirely designed to support off-season initiatives.
VIDEO: Why the Lodging Tax Matters to Teton County
Supporters of the measure are diverse. Every single Teton County Democratic and Republican candidate running for Town Council, County Commission, State Senate, and House Districts 16 & 23 support the lodging tax. But it’s more than just politicians; firefighters, a variety of small business owners, and local athletes are vocalizing their support of the measure.
Hadley isn't the only TGR athlete that has weighed in on the issue, Griffin Post also shared why the measure is important to the community. TGR Photo.
Our family supports the Lodging Tax because it supports our winter athletes. Whether it is sponsoring the Moose Chase, Town Downhill, Pole Pedal Paddle, Junior Race Series or Special Olympics Winter Games; our Lodging Tax dollars are at work supporting local athletes and our nonprofit winter organizations.
-Hammer Family (Mike, Francesca and Hadley)
If this is an initiative that you'd like to see moving forward, be sure to get out and vote tomorrow!
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