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Duchesne County adopts ordinance raising transient room tax to access state grants
Summary
The Duchesne County Commission adopted ordinance 25-4-22 to raise the county's transient room tax (TRT) to the statutory maximum, a change county officials said is required to become eligible for state tourism grant funding. The move passed by voice vote at the June 23 meeting.
Duchesne County commissioners voted June 23 to adopt ordinance 25-4-22, amending county code to raise the transient room tax to the statutory maximum so the county can qualify for state-administered tourism grants. Director Ryan, speaking for the county's tourism office and its advisory board, told commissioners that remaining at the lower TRT rate would disqualify the county from those state grant programs.
The ordinance, introduced during the meeting, was framed by staff as a step to unlock state matching or competitive funds that require the county to levy the full allowable TRT rate. Ryan said Duchesne County has historically been at the low end of the TRT range; raising the rate will make the county eligible for new grant opportunities and increase local tourism funding, though commissioners acknowledged the county currently has limited hotel capacity in places where oil-and-gas leases often result in long-term stays that do not trigger TRT collection.
Commission discussion noted the county's constrained lodging supply, the presence of oil-and-gas company leases that can render some rooms exempt from TRT collection, and the potential for increased revenue to support marketing and event center activities. Commissioner Gilliam moved to adopt ordinance 25-4-22; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
The ordinance text and related collection, appeals and effective-date language were discussed in open session; staff confirmed that failing to adopt the change would keep the county ineligible for certain state tourism grants. The commission did not record an individual roll-call tally in the transcript; the vote was recorded on the meeting audio as a series of "aye" responses and is noted in the official minutes. The county clerk's office is the contact for the ordinance implementation schedule.
Because speaker attribution in county minutes is limited to names stated on the record, this article attributes direct statements only to those named during the meeting (for example, "Ryan," the tourism director).
