Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Explore Livingston leaders report grants, events and a pilot 'Give Local' housing fund
Summary
Explore Livingston (downtown LBID, TBID, and DMO) presented annual reports: downtown assessments total ~$44,000, TBID collections average ~$150,000 though down ~20% this year, and a pilot ‘Give Local’ 1% visitor surcharge has been launched to seed housing funds through the Park County Community Foundation.
Chris King, executive director for the Explore Livingston coalition, presented annual reports and strategic priorities for three visitor/economic organizations that share staff and administrative resources: the downtown LBID, the TBID (hotel room assessment) and the DMO (destination management). He said the downtown LBID has an annual budget of approximately $44,000, TBID collections average about $150,000 per year and the DMO budget depends on state bed‑tax allocations (estimated near $66,000).
King reported TBID collections were down about 20% this year and told the commission that one hotel (Choice Hotels / Pioneer Lodge) had reportedly collected the TBID fee but not remitted it; Explore Livingston is pursuing collection options with the city. He also described a pilot program called "Give Local," a roughly 1% surcharge applied by a small group of visitor‑facing businesses that will flow into a Park County Community Foundation housing fund to support local housing solutions.
Why it matters: tourism revenues and targeted assessments fund downtown amenities and marketing; the Give Local pilot is a locally driven funding experiment aimed at addressing workforce and housing shortages without additional general tax levies.
What’s next: Explore Livingston will continue outreach on TBID compliance, finalize a downtown parking inventory and report back on the Give Local pilot outcomes.
