The Durango Area Hospitality and Lodgers Association, of which I am president, has been working on the increase in lodgers tax initiative for almost two years.
We have worked closely with community members from the arts and culture sector, the restaurant sector, retail and outdoor adventure, and special events.
After many months of collaboration by these groups, along with input from City Council on continued community needs such as transit, we were able to place the initiative on the ballot.
If approved, this tax increase will provide much needed funding for special events, transit, arts and culture – all aspects of which are enjoyed by locals. Many of you may not know that lodgers tax has provided funding for transit for over 30 years.
It is important to remember what this tax increase means to employees of Durango’s hospitality industry. The ability to build a year-round tourism economy, through managed marketing funded by lodging tax, will enable us to work toward keeping our staff throughout the year to avoid seasonal layoffs. These employees are our neighbors, our friends and our community members who rely on these jobs to support their families.
Many of us, as hotel managers, have made tourism a career and devoted our lives to the hospitality industry. We want nothing more than to be able to provide opportunity for advancement and stability for our staff, while still maintaining a good quality of life for us all.
Jenny RobertsDurango
