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Jemez Springs Council flags Lodgers' Tax noncompliance, approves tourism membership and festival policing expense
Summary
Council received a Lodgers' Tax compliance report showing seven of 17 registered lodgers were noncompliant (five now compliant or in process), approved $1,000 for a Sandoval County Tourism Alliance membership and $715.60 for police services at a Labor Day festival, and heard public concerns about Bodhi Zen Center's tax and sewer classification.
The Village Council on Aug. 19 reviewed Lodgers' Tax compliance results, approved two Lodgers' Tax Board‑recommended expenditures and heard a public complaint about the classification of a local retreat center.
Trustee James McCue, chair of the Lodgers' Tax Board, reported the board recommended two expenditures: $1,000 to join the Sandoval County Tourism Alliance and $715.60 to pay for police services during a Labor Day weekend music festival. Trustee Boyd moved to approve the expenditures, Trustee Sanchez seconded, and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.
Mayor Michael Nealeigh reported that a recent lodger compliance audit found seven of 17 registered lodgers were noncompliant; five of those have since become compliant or are in the process of becoming compliant. He said he has notified one of the two remaining noncompliant lodgers that the Lodgers' Tax Board may ask the Planning & Zoning Commission to revoke that business's permit if compliance is not achieved.
During the public-comment portion of the Finance Board meeting, Monique Alton told the Council that the Bodhi Zen Center rents rooms at about $200 per night, does not pay Lodgers' Tax and receives a reduced wastewater rate intended for churches, which she said is unfair to other businesses. Mayor Nealeigh acknowledged the difference and said he would investigate sewer‑rate classification. Finance Director Consultant Jim Cox read from a state statute that "exempts accommodations at religious institutions from occupancy tax," which the Council cited as the legal basis for the tax exemption; Cox said the sewer rate question is a separate matter that would require administrative follow-up.
Why it matters: Lodgers' Tax revenue supports tourism promotion and events; noncompliance can shift tax burdens and limit available funding. Council-approved expenditures are intended to support regional tourism coordination and to pay for public-safety coverage at a major weekend event. The Council directed follow-up on compliance and potential permit revocation for noncompliant operators, and the Mayor said he would investigate wastewater-rate classifications.
