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Eddy County lodgers-tax board OKs county marketing plan, clarifies outside-city-limits restrictions
Summary
The lodgers-tax report showed Q1 collections rose to $284,000 cash; the board and staff approved a coordinated out-of-area marketing proposal (billboards and promotional advertising) to promote county facilities outside municipalities, but staff and commissioners emphasized that lodgers-tax funds may only be used outside city limits.
The Eddy County lodgers-tax report for the first quarter showed an opening cash balance of $234,000 and an increase to $284,000 after $54,000 in lodgers-tax revenue for the quarter. The board reported small expenses (e.g., a 2022 audit item) and discussed proposals to use lodgers-tax funds for marketing county-owned facilities and events outside municipal limits.
Staff described a proposed coordinated marketing campaign — including billboards in out-of-area markets (examples cited: Albuquerque, Las Cruces, El Paso and other locations) — to promote county facilities such as the fairgrounds, sheriff’s posse grounds and shooting range. The lodgers-tax board approved the proposal in concept last week and presented it to the commission.
Commissioners and staff stressed statutory constraints: lodgers-tax money must be used for facilities and events outside city limits, and advertising should target out-of-area audiences. Commissioners encouraged staff to increase outreach to potential event applicants and noted that county-run events might be proposed to generate lodging demand.
Why it matters: Lodgers-tax dollars are intended to support tourism and event-related activity outside municipality boundaries; the proposed campaign aims to attract out-of-town visitors to county venues and increase lodging stays that generate the tax revenue.
