Commissioners debate adding county logo to AOC TLT one‑pager; no final logo commitment
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Summary
Staff brought a request from the Association of Oregon Counties to add Deschutes County’s logo to a one‑page brief supporting a proposed local transient lodging tax (TLT) act. Commissioners discussed which TLT percent the bill would affect and whether to protect existing allocations to Visit Central Oregon and the Fair & Expo; the board did not commit a county logo and staff will follow up.
County staff presented a request from the Association of Oregon Counties to add the Deschutes County logo to an AOC one‑pager supporting a proposed change to how certain portions of the transient lodging tax (TLT) may be used.
Cam Sparks, the county budget manager, and Jen Patterson, strategic initiatives manager, summarized the request and the time sensitivity for a January submission. Commissioners sought clarification about which portion of the TLT the proposed state local act would affect. Staff clarified the bill targets the post‑2003 (post‑2014 enactment) portion of the tax — the most recent 1% — and does not change the longstanding 6% or earlier allocations.
Commissioners expressed concern about preserving funding currently dedicated to Visit Central Oregon and to the Fair & Expo. One commissioner asked staff to seek assurances the local organizations would remain whole; others recommended the county remain neutral and not place its logo on the AOC material. One commissioner said the county could explore local allocation changes only as long as the uses remained within the statutory definition of tourism.
Jen Patterson said she would follow up by email with AOC after the meeting. The board did not adopt a formal position or add its logo to the one‑pager during the session.
