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Horseheads trustees authorize outreach to state lawmakers to explore local hotel/motel tax
Summary
Trustees voted to authorize the mayor to contact the village’s state senator and assemblyman to express interest in pursuing special legislation or support to allow a local occupancy (hotel/motel) tax; board discussion stressed state approval and restrictions on the use of revenue.
The Village of Horseheads Board of Trustees voted Nov. 7 to authorize the mayor to communicate the village’s interest in pursuing a local hotel/motel occupancy tax to state legislators, as a first step in exploring whether such a tax could yield revenue the village could use for tourism-related projects.
Mayor Adams and Manager Nathan Nagel told the board that state approval is required to authorize villages to adopt a local occupancy tax and that recent statewide discussions have considered allowing municipalities more local discretion. Manager Nagel said village services carry costs when out‑of‑county clients are temporarily housed in area hotels, and a local occupancy tax could generate revenue that “does not come out of the pockets of our village residents.”
Trustees discussed the statutory limitations typically placed on occupancy tax revenue (commonly restricted to tourism promotion and related purposes), the 4% local cap noted in the meeting, and the experience of nearby jurisdictions. Legal and policy cautions were raised: the manager and a trustee recommended that any outreach or resolution come from the manager as the proper administrative channel under the village’s manager-council form of government. The board agreed to create a resolution authorizing the mayor to contact Senator Thomas O’Mara and Assemblyman Chris Friend to formalize the village’s interest.
What’s next: The mayor will transmit an introductory letter to the named legislators expressing the board’s interest; the board emphasized that this action is exploratory and does not constitute adoption of a tax.
