Huron council backs Shores and Islands after presentation on proposed lodging-tax change

Huron City Council on June 10, 2025, voted to send letters urging state and county officials to preserve the current use of county lodging-tax revenue for tourism promotion after a presentation from Larry Fletcher of Shores and Islands Ohio.

Shores and Islands Ohio representative Larry Fletcher told the council the change appears in proposed state budget language that would “authorize additional purposes ... to fund public safety services, economic development projects, or infrastructure projects that impact tourism,” a change he said could be enacted without notification to local destination-marketing organizations.

The request for local support grew out of an April discovery that language had been introduced that would allow certain counties to redirect lodging-tax receipts. Fletcher said the original proposal would have allowed commissioners to divert up to two-thirds of the portion now directed to local convention and visitors bureaus; he said later iterations removed the two-thirds clause but still would add the three uses to statute. Fletcher said Shores and Islands receives 2 percentage points of a 4% county lodging tax in the region — roughly half of the county levy it described — and that a large share of its operating budget comes from that allocation.

Fletcher asked the council to authorize a letter to state and local officials opposing the statutory change and urging that any reallocation be preceded by “transparency and honest conversation” with affected municipalities and tourism partners. He said the organization had collected more than 1,000 petition signatures and that local industry leaders, including Kalahari CEO Todd Nelson and Six Flags executive Richard Zimmerman, had signed a letter supporting the bureau.

Resident Christine Crawford, who identified herself as 718 Taylor Avenue in Huron, told the council she supports Shores and Islands and described smaller destination-development grants that have supported public art and local events. “Thank you for recognizing what Shores and Islands in Ohio does for your small businesses and for the region as a whole,” Crawford said.

Mayor Martino read the draft letter aloud at the meeting, saying in part, “This work drives millions of visitors to our communities, creating jobs, supporting small businesses, and generating significant tax revenue.” Council Member Biddlecomb moved to authorize the mayor to sign the letters; the motion was amended to add county commissioners and language urging protection of the city’s home-rule authority under the Ohio Constitution and the city charter. The motion passed on a roll-call vote.

Fletcher told council the language in question originated with Erie County officials and a legislative firm and was placed into the state budget process; he said the language had been modified several times. He asked municipalities to request that the provision be removed entirely or, at minimum, that any new uses be subject to guardrails and prior consultation with local tourism partners.

Fletcher also noted a community forum on the issue planned for June 23 at Milaner Pavilion, Jackson Street Pier, with a 5:30 p.m. community session and a 6 p.m. program, and said commissioners and legislators had been invited.

The council’s approved action directs the mayor to send letters to the county commissioners, the county treasurer, Senator Gavarone, Representative Swearingen, Representative Kelly Dieter, the president of the Ohio Senate, and the speaker of the Ohio House, expressing concern about proposed statutory language and asking for consultation before any reallocation of lodging-tax funds.

Council members asked staff to include explicit home-rule language in the documents and noted municipalities’ municipal lodging-tax collections would not be directly redirected by the county-language change, although they could be affected indirectly if marketing funds were reduced.

Shores and Islands Ohio is a regional destination-marketing organization that receives most of its operating revenue from county lodging-tax allocations and distributes funds for grants, sponsorships and destination development throughout Erie and Ottawa counties.