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Madison council adopts 1% food-and-beverage tax to fund parks, tourism and economic development
Summary
The Madison City Council approved Ordinance 2025-13, a 1% food-and-beverage tax earmarked for parks, tourism and economic development projects; supporters said visitor spending would finance much of the revenue.
The Madison City Council voted to adopt Ordinance 2025-13, a 1% food-and-beverage tax, on second reading during its Aug. 19 meeting.
Supporters told the council the tax is intended to fund parks, tourism and economic development projects. Andrew Forster, director of tourism at Visit Madison, said the ordinance would direct new revenue to “strengthen the experiences that make Madison special” and estimated roughly $213,000 annually could come from visitor spending alone based on 2023 figures. “According to the latest Rockport Analytics study of tourism in Jefferson County, visitors spent $21,300,000 on food and beverage in our city in 2023,” Forster said.
The tax was introduced by Councilman Jim Bartlett and supported at the meeting by the Jefferson County Board of Tourism. Trevor Crafton, president of the Jefferson County Board of Tourism, said the board backed the measure. “We know how vitally important maintaining and improving our parks for tourism, economic development, and quality of life are for here in Madison, Indiana,” Crafton said.
Council members voted by roll call. The vote recorded Patrick Tevinoff voting No; Carla Krebs, Lucy Dutillo, Jess (Josh) Schafer, Joel Storm and Jim Bartlett voting Yes. The ordinance passed on the second reading.
The ordinance would dedicate revenue from the tax to the categories named in the measure; details on specific projects, timelines and the city’s administrative plan for the funds were not finalized at the meeting. Forster and Crafton urged reinvestment in visitor-facing amenities on the rationale that visitor spending would offset part of the burden on local taxpayers.
The council did not amend the ordinance on the floor; the transcript records discussion and presentations by tourism representatives followed by the roll-call vote that approved the measure.
Council documents and the Rockport Analytics figures cited by Forster are part of the record included in the meeting packet.
