lodging tax increase

By BETH LAKEY

Staff Writer

Some motel managers in Troy are pushing to increase the city’s lodging tax.

Stan Rutter of Holiday Inn approached the Troy City Council about raising the tax by a penny.

Any increase approved by the council would raise the lodging tax from 7 cents to 8 cents on each dollar spent at local motels and RV parks.

According to a petition presented to the council, the funds generated by the increase would be allocated to support the Pike County Chamber of Commerce Tourism.

Committee with the money going to "marketing efforts to increase tourism to the city and the county of Pike."

The funds will apparently be used to hire a part-time staff person for the Chamber. That individual will be responsible for creating literature, attending tourism tradeshows and conferences and developing local events that would bring tourists to Troy and "generally promote Troy to tourists."

Rutter said Troy’s lodging tax is lower than most in this area. For example, Dothan’s lodging tax is 9 cents, Ozark’s is 8, along with Montgomery and Panama City, Fla.

"It’s not uncommon to get up to nine cents," Rutter told the council members.

Ranchod Lakha, manager of Days Inn, was one of the three motel managers who signed the petition.

He said increasing the lodging tax will benefit "us" and the city as a whole.

"I don’t see any down (part)," Lakha said.

Clemmie Pennington of the Holiday Inn Express said approval of the lodging tax increase would "be good for the city" because it would "help tourism and, in turn, help the city."

Mayor Jimmy Lunsford recommended the council take the matter under advisement.