Clatsop County reviews 2025 legislative session and readies local transient‑lodging tax increase

Clatsop County commissioners received a post‑session briefing on Aug. 13 that emphasized the fallout from a stalled statewide transportation package and described a locally controlled plan to raise the countywide transient lodging tax (TLT).

Ryan of CFM Advocates opened the update, saying the briefing would cover the 2025 session and an upcoming special session set to address transportation funding. "We are here to debrief the 2025 session and to walk through the special session that is, upcoming later this month," he said.

County staff summarized the 2025 session as unusually busy and noted leadership turnover in both chambers. The presenters said several county priority bills advanced in the House but ran out of time in the Senate; one county priority addressing homeowner‑association fees passed the House overwhelmingly but did not reach final Senate action and will be refiled in 2026.

A central focus was tourism‑related revenue and how it is shared. A staff presenter explained the practical mechanics of the TLT: "It's a tax on the overnight lodging stays of less than 30 days," and described how state law currently directs large portions of that revenue to tourism promotion and facilities. The staff review traced the county's TLT history and noted that the countywide portion is currently 1¢.

Faced with limited state changes and a failed transportation package, the county put forward a locally controlled ordinance (first reading previously completed) to raise the countywide rate to 3¢. Staff estimated the change would generate about $4,000,000 a year, of which roughly $2,800,000 would remain restricted for tourism promotion and facilities and $1,200,000 would be discretionary for public‑safety purposes. The presenter said the draft ordinance includes a clause allowing the board to reduce the rate if the legislature later grants more flexibility.

Supporters framed TLT increases as visitor‑funded relief for local services: "It's pass through funding from the the people that are coming to visit us to help fund our infrastructure," one presenter said. Commissioners pressed on equity questions — whether residents could be held harmless and whether increased TLT rates would meaningfully cover rising costs such as law enforcement, rural fire response and road repairs.

On the state level, presenters warned of a worsening fiscal picture: a large revenue revision, no new investments in public‑health modernization and an estimated multi‑million shortfall in corrections funding that could pressure future county budgets.

What happens next: staff asked the board to schedule first and second readings of the countywide TLT ordinance soon and requested full board attendance. If adopted, staff said the ordinance would enter effect 30 days after adoption but a new TLT rate would not apply until Jan. 1, with revenue beginning the following quarter.