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Parks and tourism chiefs report 3 Peaks economic boost, TRT increase and local projects
Summary
Parks and Recreation and Tourism staff told the commission they saw increased lodging revenue tied to a regional race, outlined park improvements and described a state transient room tax change that may give counties an optional surtax to access a search-and-rescue mitigation fund.
Maria, the county's parks and tourism staff lead, briefed commissioners on Parks and Recreation and tourism activity in Iron County and on a recently enacted change to the state's transient room tax.
Maria said the high school mountain bike championship at 3 Peaks produced substantial visitor activity: more than 13,000 people attended events in the 3 Peaks area during the race period and lodging bookings linked to the event exceeded $880,000. She described a plan to move the race start inside park pavement by extending paving into the park to avoid blocking local driveways.
Parks updates included a May 1 grand opening for the 5 Mile park, plans to extend the season through October 31, a new ATV trailhead at 3 Peaks, improvements funded by grants and work by county crews, and mitigation of conflicts between the shooting range and a neighboring airsoft range.
On tourism metrics, Maria reported transient room tax (TRT) collections ended the last year 11% above February 2023; occupancy was up 3% year over year and average daily rate increased 2%. The tourism advisory board recommended distributing more than $300,000 to contributing partners (organizations that provide visitor services or events) and about $65,000 for special events marketing.
Maria described a state-level change to the TRT: the state enacted a 0.75 percentage-point increase in the statewide tax on lodging. According to her presentation, a 0.25 percentage point portion will be routed to a state mitigation fund for search and rescue, 0.5 percentage point toward larger infrastructure projects, and the law allows counties to adopt an additional 0.25 percentage point locally if they want eligibility for the state mitigation grant program. Maria said county leaders have not decided whether to adopt the optional 0.25 percentage point.
Commissioners asked about search-and-rescue needs and which counties are most affected. Maria said counties with national-park-driven visitation tend to see more search-and-rescue demand and that county staff plan to consult the sheriff's office before deciding whether to adopt the optional local surtax.
The briefing was informational; no county tax change or funding action was taken at the meeting.
