Latest news with #HotelOccupancyTax
Chicago Tribune
20-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Aurora City Council to vote on doubling hotel room tax
Aurora is considering doubling its hotel room tax rate, which has not risen since it was first adopted in 1987. The city's Hotel Occupancy Tax rate is currently set at 3%, but many nearby communities have higher rates that are similar to what is being proposed, according to Chief Financial Officer Chris Minick. He estimates that the proposed 6% rate would bring in an additional $1.1 million for the city each year, especially after the opening of the new $360 million Hollywood Casino-Aurora resort. The proposal is set to go before the Aurora City Council for final approval at its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, when the council is also set to consider extending a 1% tax on groceries that would otherwise expire statewide at the end of this year. There are currently around 635 hotel rooms within city limits, with an extra 220 expected to come from the new casino resort, Minick told the City Council's Committee of the Whole at its meeting last Tuesday. At its current rate and number of hotel rooms, the city brings in between $550,000 and $585,000 each year, he said. That money mostly goes into the city's General Fund to offset operational costs, Minick said, but the city also uses around $225,000 per year to support the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The proposed increase of this particular tax has a number of benefits, according to Minick. For example, he said that the tax is mainly paid by people who are not residents of Aurora, and it is discretionary. Plus, people do not typically shop for hotel rooms based on the tax rate, but instead based on how close they are to whatever attraction the person is looking to visit, Minick told the Committee of the Whole. Because of how close hotels in Aurora are to amenities, he expects there to still be significant demand for those rooms, he said. The Hotel Occupancy Tax only applies to the price of the hotel room itself, not to other costs like room service. The proposed changes to the tax not only double the rate but would also add a $10 daily flat fee on rooms offered for free, which Minick said is a common practice at casino resorts. If passed by the Aurora City Council on Tuesday, the new higher rate would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. The new Hollywood Casino resort is expected to open in the first half of 2026, according to past reporting. The proposed Hotel Occupancy Tax rate increase was recommended for approval by the Aurora City Council's Finance Committee earlier this month, though committee chair Ald. Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward, voted against it. Mesiacos also voted against recommending the local 1% grocery tax for approval at that same meeting. He told The Beacon-News just before Tuesday's Committee of the Whole meeting that he voted against the grocery tax because it would negatively impact the residents he represents. Illinois first put in place the 1% grocery tax in 1990 to help fund local governments, but it was repealed by a state bill passed last year. However, that bill allowed cities and villages to set their own tax to replace the statewide one, which Aurora is considering doing. Gov. JB Pritzker, who signed the bill, has said the statewide grocery tax hurts poorer people in particular because it takes a larger chunk of their income, according to reporting from the Chicago Tribune. For the same reason, Mesiacos said the tax should be reduced for communities like the one he represents. The grocery tax does not apply to those who receive benefits from the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also called SNAP. However, after the Trump administration's megabill was passed and signed on July 4, many SNAP recipients may receive lesser or no benefits in the near future. Area elected officials criticized the federal tax and spending bill last week, saying it would hurt local residents. Aurora currently receives around $4.5 million in revenue through the grocery sales tax each year, and without those funds helping pay for public safety, road maintenance, public works, community programs and environmental services, the city would likely need to look to alternative funding sources or make cuts to services, city officials have said. And, as pointed out by Ald. Carl Franco, 5th Ward, at Tuesday's Committee of the Whole meeting, the city has been 'painting a picture that we're fiscally challenged right now.' Mayor John Laesch has made similar comments about the city's finances in the past, and even said during his inauguration speech in May that the city is in 'serious debt,' that his administration needs to get the city's 'financial house in order' and that residents will likely be seeing a property tax increase. The grocery tax is a significant piece of funding for the city, Franco said, and asking residents to pay $1 for every $100 they spend on groceries for the city to get millions of dollars each year doesn't feel like a stretch, especially since other communities are doing the same thing. Cities and villages have until Oct. 1 to approve the local continuation of the 1% grocery sales tax, which would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, just after the tax expires statewide. Many nearby communities have already approved local extensions of the tax, including Montgomery, Sugar Grove, North Aurora, Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles, as have others throughout the Chicago area and the state. Naperville, in contrast, is considering increasing the city's sales tax to compensate for its lost state grocery tax revenue, according to the Naperville Sun.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Applications for Brownsville tourism funding from nonprofits sought
May 21—The city of Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau is inviting local, nonprofit organizations to apply for Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) funds to promote tourism in the city. The city said it's part of the CVB's "annual collaboration with local organizations to market and promote Brownsville as a visitor's destination." The HOT revenue it generated by hotel bookings in Brownsville. Every dollar awarded must "directly enhance and promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry within the city," according to the CVB. To be eligible, applicants' projects must fall into one of several categories, including "funding the establishment, improvement or maintenance of a convention center of visitor information center; paying the administrative costs for facilitating convention registration; paying for advertising, solicitations and promotions that attract tourists and convention delegates to the city or its vicinity; expenditures that promote the arts." Categories also included involve "funding historical restoration or preservation programs; funding the enhancement or upgrading of existing sports facilities or sports fields; funding transportation systems for tourists; signage directing tourists to sights and attractions that are visited frequently by hotel guests." Those interested in applying for HOT funds are encouraged to attend one of two HOT educational workshops the CVB has scheduled for June 9 at the CVB complex, 1312 E. Adams St. in Brownsville. The workshops are scheduled for 9-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. on that day. June 22 is the deadline to apply for HOT funds. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction officially starts on new Austin Convention Center
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Just weeks after South by Southwest ended, construction has already begun on the new Austin Convention Center. Austin leaders hosted an official event Thursday. 'Today is the official closure of the Austin Convention Center. We are unveiling Unconventional ATX, which is the new Austin Convention Center project,' said Trisha Tatro, director of the Austin Convention Center Department. The city of Austin first released renderings of the new space earlier this year. City leaders say it will make the area more walkable and add green space. 'The redevelopment of the Convention Center will create a vital downtown amenity and urban connector,' said Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. 'With a design that emphasizes street-level openness and accessibility, vibrant public plazas, and pedestrian-friendly pathways, this transformation will enhance connectivity and inclusivity, creating a more accessible and engaging downtown experience for residents and visitors.' The $1.6 billion project will nearly double the rentable square footage of the existing facility, growing from 365,000 square feet to 620,000 square feet of rentable space, according to a release from the city in February. 'We took about half of our leads that we got, and we put them right in the trash can because we were either sold out or too small,' said Tom Noonan, president and CEO of Visit Austin. 'Now we're going to be much more competitive.' What's the deal with SXSW when the Austin Convention Center closes for reconstruction? The project, which the city calls Unconventional ATX, is being funded through Hotel Occupancy Tax and Convention Center revenues — no property taxes are going toward the project, the city said. The convention center is expected to reopen in 2029. According to the city, the new convention center will be the world's first zero-carbon-certified convention center (International Living Futures Institute). The design of the center 'reimagines traditional event spaces,' a city release said. It will prioritize accessibility, flexibility, and sustainability. $1.6B Austin Convention Center expansion to start in 2025 The design also aims to enhance connectivity with surrounding districts, including the Waterloo Greenway, Palm District, and Project Connect initiatives, the city noted. It will prioritize public access and multimodal transit by reopening Third Street for multimodal traffic and transforming Second Street into a pedestrian-friendly corridor. 'There will be retail and open green spaces for not only the community to celebrate and enjoy and partake in but also our visitors,' Tatro said. The convention center will also showcase art installations, interactive exhibits, and artist-driven spaces that 'celebrate Austin's diverse creative community,' a release said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wichita County could soon add hotel tax to boost economic development
AUSTIN (KFDX/KJTL) — Wichita County could soon have its own Hotel Occupancy Tax after Representative James Frank filed a bill to push economic development in the area. As the deadline to file bills this legislative session nears, Frank filed House Bill 3567 on February 28. According to Frank's weekly newsletter update and the bill's text, it would allow the Wichita County Commissioners to establish an H.O.T. of up to two percent until 2030. The text defines what the revenue raised from the tax could fund, such as: Supporting local events such as Hotter'N Hell Hundred and T.H.O.R. Construction of an amphitheater, park, or other similar public space to promote arts Provide grants to art and cultural organizations to develop, promote, and attract visitors Funding for the Museum of North Texas History Hiring staff to manage the funds The bill could go into effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of House members to support the bill. Read the full text below: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
These Austin historic sites received nearly $33M for upgrades, rehabilitation work
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin has allocated nearly $33 million toward heritage preservation efforts toward some of the city's historic sites this fiscal year. Austin City Council approved Thursday the nearly $33 million allocation for historic preservation and restoration projects for fiscal year 2024-25. That funding amounted to: Nearly $14 million for capital improvement projects at historic sites Just over $3 million for staffing resources to aid operations $3.2 million for heritage preservation grants at certain historic sites $10 million for land appropriation for 'potential future historic acquisition or major preservation project,' per city documents $2.5 million for a contract with Rally Austin 'for the implementation and disbursement of the Iconic Venue Fund and associated support fees' Some of the sites receiving city dollars include the Old Bakery & Emporium, Evergreen Cemetery, Austin History Center, Deep Eddy Grocery & Cabaret, Huston-Tillotson University and the Neill-Cochran House. A breakdown of those capital improvement projects and heritage preservation grant recipients is detailed below. From an operations standpoint, council approved nearly $3.2 million for the following facilities: 13 temporary staff, 10 full-time employees, program administration and general historic property maintenance personnel at: Old Bakery & Emporium, O. Henry Museum, Susanna Dickinson Museum, Elisabet Ney Museum, Oakwood Chapel Visitor Center and Montopolis Negro School Security personnel at Brush Square 2 full-time employees along with personnel in contract and program administration, education and outreach, promotional programming, tourism marketing training and tourism advertising for the Parks and Recreation Heritage Tourism Content and digital asset management and tourism marketing at the Austin History Center The Heritage Tourism Division under the city's Parks and Recreation Department helps overseeing tourism programming and funding initiatives to support historic sites and museums in Austin. Funding for these efforts come courtesy the city's special revenue historic preservation fund, which receives 15% of the seven-cent portion of the city's Hotel Occupancy Tax, per council documents. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
