Everything in the pandemic has been hard. We’ve all experienced tough times and navigated our own challenges.
Voting yes on Ballot Issue 1-A gives us some low-hanging fruit to put us on a quicker path to restoration. The path to economic and community recovery from the pandemic starts here.
By increasing the lodgers tax, a tax that most of us will likely never have to pay, to a reasonable percentage, our community has the opportunity to thrive as we come out of a global pandemic. Allowing the funds collected from the increase to go toward the marketing management of Durango, the transit system and the arts will be critical in the success of our city and county.
We all know that the pandemic has been challenging for most if not all of us, however, some industries like the hospitality industry have been ravaged by the coronavirus. Increasing lodgers’ tax will help to get these hospitality sectors back on track in both the short and long term.
The recovery will not happen automatically as we come out of pandemic restrictions. It will take a concerted effort by all of us to be forward-thinking and creative to realize the hard work that will be required to lift our community back up. Voting yes on Ballot Issue 1-A is a step in the right direction to get our general and creative economy where it needs to be for us to flourish.
Let’s roll up our sleeves to work together and thrive once again.
Dave Woodruff
President, Durango Chapter, Colorado Restaurant Association
