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Council approves digital platform to boost hotel and short-term rental tax compliance
Summary
The council approved agreements to implement a localgov electronic filing and compliance platform intended to simplify hotel occupancy tax filing and increase short-term rental tax compliance; staff said the platform is a management tool and does not itself impose new permit rules.
The Nacogdoches City Council approved two finance-related agreements to bring an electronic filing and management platform online for hotel occupancy taxes and short-term rental compliance.
Kevin Sardino, assistant director of finance, described the platform as a turnkey system that provides electronic filing, customer support and analytics designed to identify missed filings and increase compliance on online short-term rental platforms. "We're anticipating that it's going to bring in more simply for the fact that the short term rentals depend on certain online platforms," Sardino said.
Council members asked whether the platform would create permitting or inspection authority for short-term rentals. Staff and Mike New, executive director of development and infrastructure, said the product does not itself create new permitting rules; it is a filing and management solution that could be integrated into any future permit program if the council decides to establish one. Staff also noted a related audit/compliance component that looks across revenue sources and could identify other areas of noncompliance.
After discussion, council members voted unanimously to approve the professional services agreement and the audit/compliance agreement.
Staff indicated they will begin onboarding the platform and provide periodic updates to the council about implementation and any measurable changes in compliance.
