The lodgers tax increase, if passed, will have no end date, and the allocations - 55% to market tourism, 20% for transit, and 14% for the arts and culture - will be permanent, leaving only 11% to address any above shortfalls and other tourism impacts.
Durango has too many unmet and unfunded needs to justify these allocations. We need funding for workforce housing, new police and fire stations, a water treatment plant, and to manage parks, trails, lands and waters – all services that support our community and tourism economy.
The approximate $500,000 for transit is grossly insufficient. Transit is a critical city service and a basic public good. Adequate dedicated funding is central to reducing vehicle congestion and the adverse air quality tourism exacerbates.
In 2018, due to an eventual 50% reduction in state funding in 2023, the city cut three important bus routes, including the Three Springs-Mercy route, a critical link between the hospital and Durango. (This route was reinstated this year with COVID-19 grant funding that expires in December.)
The approximate $500,000 the lodger’s tax could generate is entirely insufficient to stabilize and expand our transit program and does not consider the millions in unfunded projects our community has prioritized in the Multimodal and ADA Transition Plans.
A properly crafted lodgers tax will provide vital support to transit and other city services. As am a member of the city’s Multimodal Advisory Board, I do believe we need a lodgers tax increase – just not this one.
Ellen SteinDurango
