Lynchburg council denies proposal to raise lodging tax after hours of testimony

Lynchburg City Council on June 10 voted 6–1 to deny an ordinance that would have increased the city's transient lodging tax from 6.5% to 8.5% of room charges and raised the per-room surcharge from $1 to $3.

The measure prompted more than an hour of public testimony, much of it from people tied to the local hospitality industry who warned higher lodging fees would make Lynchburg less competitive with nearby Campbell County and other regional markets. Deputy City Manager Greg Patrick opened the public hearing by summarizing the proposal: "the item before you today, this public hearing, is to consider increasing, the lodging tax ... from 6 and a half percent up to 8 and a half percent and to consider increasing the bed tax ... from $1 up to a maximum of $3." (Greg Patrick, deputy city manager).

The importance of tourism and hospitality to the local economy was a recurring theme. A Cornerstone Hospitality representative told the council that about "3,000 of those constituents depend on hospitality and tourism in Lynchburg alone" and that "7.9% of the workforce is…