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Commissioners order rewrite of hotel-tax ordinance after residents demand transparency of tourism spending
Summary
Following multiple public comments alleging a lack of oversight at the county’s tourism agency, commissioners instructed the solicitor to draft an amended hotel-tax ordinance that would split administration, put the bulk of revenue in a joint account, and require a joint audit.
The Washington County Board of Commissioners voted to instruct the county solicitor to draft an amended hotel-tax ordinance after residents and local stakeholders pressed for greater transparency over how hotel-tax revenue is spent.
Attorney Sean Logue, Dr. Jeffrey Elias and other public commenters said the county’s current arrangement gives too much discretion to the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency and lacks adequate oversight. "$3,000,000 is going out the door and we don't know where all the money is going to," Sean Logue told the board and requested a forensic audit of the tourism agency's spending over the past…
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