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Committee hears bill to let small counties award larger visitor-improvement grants
Summary
A bill to let counties award larger single grants from lodging-tax-funded county visitors improvement funds drew support at a Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee hearing, with proponents saying the change would help very small counties fund meaningful projects such as a three‑mile trail in the Sandhills.
Senator Tanya Stoehr, who represents the 43rd District, introduced LB 294 on the committee floor, saying the bill would increase flexibility in the county visitors improvement fund and allow counties to award annual grants "up to the greater of 1% or $5,000," as amended.
The measure would change how counties may spend proceeds from local lodging taxes. "These are dollars that are generated within that county. That is the purpose of the improvement fund," Stoehr said in her opening remarks, describing the proposal as a way to enable small counties to use collected lodging-tax dollars to complete larger, one‑time projects.
Stoehr told the committee the bill was initially drafted to increase the ability of Loop County to pay for engineering on a new hiking and biking trail. She said Loop County trail promoters had…
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