Supervisors advance plan for 2% Amador County Tourism Marketing District over objections about short‑term rentals and housing

The Amador County Board of Supervisors voted 3‑2 on March 25 to declare its intention to form the Amador County Tourism Marketing District, a proposed 2% pass‑through assessment on short‑term lodging, and to set a public meeting for April 22 and a public hearing for May 27.

The measure would add a 2% line item to lodging receipts paid by visitors, not by residents, to be collected quarterly and used for countywide tourism marketing. Tracy Birkner, cofounder of the Amador Council of Tourism, told the board, "It is a 2% assessment on all short term rentals...and that is paid for by the visitor." She said the district would run five years and that the plan guarantees that "no less than 77% of the funds raised would go directly to marketing efforts."

Proponents from Visit Amador and the Amador Council of Tourism described a 13‑member governing board (seven lodging seats to maintain a lodging majority), a marketing subcommittee and an annual plan intended to target mid‑week visitation, cooperative advertising with Visit California and Visit Gold Country, and audits conducted…