Erie County leaders ask for lodging‑tax flexibility to use tourism revenue for public safety and infrastructure

Erie County Commissioner Matt Old and Treasurer Caleb Stidham told senators an amendment to House Bill 96 would give smaller counties with outsized lodging tax receipts greater flexibility to use those funds for public safety, economic development and infrastructure.

Old explained that Erie County collects more than $3,000,000 annually in lodging taxes due to destinations such as Cedar Point and Kelleys Island but that state law requires county lodging tax revenues be spent for tourism promotion through convention and visitors bureaus; cities, villages and townships do not face the same restriction. The amendment would let counties with fewer than 100,000 residents but lodging tax collections above $500,000 allocate up to two‑thirds of lodging tax receipts for public safety, economic development and infrastructure while preserving at least one‑third for the CVB.

Treasurer Stidham said the change would allow elected officials accountable to residents to direct dollars to local priorities such as jail costs, roads and visitor infrastructure. He noted that Erie County suspended a portion of its property tax inside millage and that lodging‑tax flexibility could help protect those tax reductions while addressing service pressures tied to tourist traffic.

Ending: County leaders asked the Senate to adopt the amendment so counties with high tourism‑driven revenues can address the infrastructure and safety costs tourists generate while preserving funds for promotion.