Clatsop County holds first public hearing on higher transient lodging tax to shore up public safety funding

Clatsop County held the first public hearing on an ordinance to consolidate transient lodging tax (TLT) code sections and increase local rates to help cover tourism‑driven public‑safety costs.

County staff presented a dual approach: continue pursuing legislative change to ORS 320.35 to give highly impacted coastal counties more flexibility, and in the near term amend local code to raise the unincorporated rate by $0.01 and the countywide rate by $0.02. Staff said the combined package, if unchanged, would generate roughly $4.1 million in additional TLT receipts but that only about $1.23 million of that total would be discretionary revenue available to offset general‑fund public‑safety costs. The proposal would reserve 70% of the additional countywide $0.02 in a restricted account and budget it with city and tourism partner input.

“We’ve evaluated a number of options,” the County Manager explained in the hearing, “and there were really three principles we underscored: tax activity, geographic equity and maintenance of service levels.” The manager said the county’s current discretionary revenues — property tax and timber receipts — are not keeping pace with demand and that tourism places a disproportionate volume pressure on local emergency services.

Sheriff (unnamed) presented department data showing a marked increase in nonresident incidents: in one recent month about 40–45% of arrests were people not resident in the county, and simple counts of ambulance and fire responses to state parks and other visitor sites were similarly skewed toward nonresident demand. "A lot of the impacts on public safety are coming from visitors," the sheriff said, and county staff argued that a modest local rate increase is a pragmatic step while the legislature considers statutory changes.

Staff also proposed consolidating Clatsop County Code Sections 3.16 and 3.28 into a single chapter and drafting the ordinance so the board could later reduce the local TLT rate by resolution if the legislature grants broader flexibility. The manager told commissioners the county’s priority is public safety and that the ordinance language dedicates the discretionary portion of post‑2003 TLT revenue for tourism‑related impacts on general‑fund public‑safety services.

The board opened public comment and received no in‑person or remote speakers for the TLT hearing. After discussion, the board voted to continue the public hearing and the ordinance to the regular meeting on February 12, 2025, so staff can pursue parallel legislative advocacy and return with any refinements. The county manager and staff said that if the legislature provides the requested flexibility the board could reduce or eliminate the proposed rate increases by resolution.