Commissioners outline plan for 1% lodging-tax ballot question to fund roads, public safety and recreation

Commissioners on Tuesday described a planned ballot question that would increase Chaffee Countys lodging tax by one percentage point and allocate the new revenue across four main categories: road and bridge, public safety (including sheriff and EMS), municipal assistance, and recreation/infrastructure.

Commissioner Dave (first-name identification) said about a third of the additional revenue would go to the countys road and bridge needs, amounting to roughly $1 million in additional local capacity in a typical year; other portions would go to public safety, to municipalities (roughly $800,000 estimated back to towns), and to a lodging-tax fund supporting the county visitors bureau and recreation projects.

"We're asking tourists to cover this expense as opposed to the community," Commissioner PT said, noting an example: a 4% tax on a $300 room generates $12. PT and other commissioners framed the proposal as a way to align visitor-borne impacts (road damage, EMS calls) with funding sources that primarily affect visitors.

Commissioners emphasized the countys limited tools for infrastructure funding and urged businesses and lodging operators to engage in discussion ahead of a potential ballot measure. No ballot title or formal resolution was adopted at Tuesday's meeting.

Why this matters: The lodging-tax increase would change funding for local infrastructure and services used by both residents and visitors. Commissioners framed the tax as a user-fee approach to preserve county services while shifting some burden to people who stay overnight in local lodging.

Next steps: Commissioners plan further outreach to lodging operators and municipalities and will return with formal ballot language and an implementation plan if they decide to place the question on a future election ballot.