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Grand County raises transient room tax to 4.5% and approves up to $2.5M tourism media plan
Summary
The Grand County Commission on May 6 adopted an ordinance to raise the transient room tax to 4.5% to remain eligible for a new state outdoor recreation mitigation grant program and unanimously approved expanding the county’s tourism media plan to a cap of $2.5 million, plus provisional approval for a media contract pending legal sign‑off.
The Grand County Commission voted unanimously May 6 to increase the county’s transient room tax to 4.5% and to authorize creation of an expanded tourism media plan with a spending cap of $2.5 million.
Commissioners said raising the tax is required to make the county eligible for a new state outdoor recreation mitigation grant created by recent legislation. Staff told the board the change could yield an additional $400,000–$500,000 in TRT revenue in a strong year; implementation timing depends on State Tax Commission notification and may take effect Oct. 1 rather than July 1.
“HB456 requires collection at 4.5% to be eligible for those mitigation grants,” a staff presenter told the commission during the discussion; commissioners then voted to adopt an ordinance updating the county rate.
The same meeting included debate about how the county should manage an unusually large TRT reserve balance. Staff reported the county’s TRT reserve was about $3.59 million and commissioners discussed options for proactive spending versus slower drawdown. Commissioners approved a motion to instruct staff and the tourism partner to prepare a media plan with a cap of $2.5 million, raised from the previous $1.6 million projection, citing a desire to stimulate the local economy amid a 12% drop in sales tax receipts in recent months.
Commissioners also provisionally approved the county’s media services contract with the firm Madden Freeprint Media LLC, updated to reflect the higher cap and subject to county attorney review. Leslie Roball, Madden senior director of destination strategy, and other Madden staff participated in the meeting and described work on goals and measurable KPIs. The commission approved the contract pending minor legal edits and directed that the finalized document be circulated to commissioners before execution.
The motions passed with no recorded dissent. The commission paired the media‑spend decision with hires and contract awards already on the agenda: a public relations award to Camp Stories and selection of Cruz & Associates as municipal advisor, both approved earlier in the meeting.
What’s next: Staff will notify the State Tax Commission about the TRT change and finalize the Madden contract after legal review. Commissioners said they'll receive contract copies before the chair executes them.
