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Nicole: Bill would let cities form tourism improvement districts and assess lodging businesses
Summary
HB 2950 would create tourism improvement districts enabling hospitality providers to establish a lodging tax or business assessment to fund tourism events; the Senate removed a requirement for destination marketing organizations to manage assessments and allowed governing bodies to approve business assessment rates.
Nicole briefed members on HB 2950, describing tourism improvement districts as a mechanism for hospitality providers to pool resources and fund event attraction through a new lodging tax or business assessment. She said the Senate amendment removed the requirement that destination marketing organizations manage the districts' assessments and allows the city, town or county governing body to approve business assessment rates.
Nicole also described procedural rules the amendment creates — including 90-day windows for approval and new thresholds for the number of lodging businesses that can be added after formation. A member confirmed the districts remain opt-in/opt-out for businesses; no fiscal figures were presented in caucus.
