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Conway sponsor seeks local option $2 nightly safety assessment to offset tourist‑driven public‑safety costs
Summary
Representative Paige outlined a local‑option measure that would let municipalities adopt up to $2 per‑night occupancy fees to defray police, fire, EMS and wastewater costs connected to transient tourism; proponents said it’s modest and local, opponents called it discriminatory and hard to enforce against short‑term rentals.
The committee heard a lengthy public hearing on House Bill 544, a local‑option proposal that would permit municipalities to adopt a per‑night occupancy assessment up to $2 to offset municipal public‑safety and infrastructure costs generated by transient visitors.
Representative Paige (Conway) said the town of Conway faces a large transient population on peak weekends and holiday periods that swells capacity needs for police, fire, EMS and wastewater. The bill would allow a town‑level voter referendum to create an occupancy assessment of up to $2 per night, with enacting legislation requiring revenues be dedicated to municipal costs tied to tourism…
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