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Cheektowaga board opens hearing on hotel occupancy tax, then tables local law to incorporate enforcement suggestions
Summary
The board opened a public hearing on Intro to Local Law No. 6 (2025) to authorize an occupancy (hotel) tax of up to 3%, heard public and council comments including enforcement suggestions, and later tabled the local law to allow staff to consider amendments before a future vote.
The Town Board of Cheektowaga opened a public hearing on Intro to Local Law No. 6 (2025), which would amend the town taxation law to permit an occupancy tax for hotels (proposed text limits the rate to no more than 3% of the per‑diem rental rate). Gary Bork, a registered commenter and industry representative, said the draft is “a good start” but urged stronger enforcement mechanisms, including a presumption in favor of the town’s determination of amounts owed and registration and taxation of third‑party remarketers. He provided written comments to the clerk and referenced sample language from Saratoga.
Council members said they appreciated the input and suggested holding off on adoption to review recommended language. Later in the meeting the board voted to waive rules and introduce the local law as a late agenda item (resolution 2025‑746), but a motion was made to table the item so staff could incorporate suggested changes and refine enforcement language. The item was tabled for further consideration rather than adopted.
No formal vote to adopt the local law occurred; the board left open the possibility of adopting an amended version before the end of the calendar year so revenue collection could commence in 2026 if needed.
