The La Plata County Commissioners are proposing to allocate 70% of the lodgers tax collected annually to support tourism related workforce housing and child care, something that is permitted by state statute, with voter approval. For the most recent calendar year, 2023, that would be about $636,000 of the $936,000 collected.
While the ballot question does not include a sunset date, something that The Durango Herald’s editorial board thinks should be a part of all tax questions, it supports the county’s initiative. Shortages of both housing and child care heavily impact tourism-related employees, and this is an appropriate source of assistance funding.
Since the idea of allocating a portion of the lodgers tax elsewhere than marketing was floated, the commissioners have reached out to residents for their ideas, and for affirmation, to their credit.
A local child care coalition has very specific plans as to what 70% funding will provide, and while for housing it’s more general, the funding allocation is also worthwhile; how the 70% will be divided has not been determined. On the child care we’ll-be-able-to-do-list (if it receives the entire 70%, likely unlikely) are “a countywide income-based tuition assistance program,” “support 25 programs to care for over 150 children under the age of 6 for the next three years,” “recruit and train 8 new early childhood educators per year,” and “supplement the wages of local teachers with children under 3 years by 10 percent so they can continue working with our youngest learners.” Appealing areas of application, in our view.
The La Plata Economic Development Alliance’s Housing Catalyst Fund cites its recent detailed housing funding history and the Regional Housing Authority has a 2024 strategic plan.
County lodgers tax collections – from the unincorporated parts of the county and from Bayfield and Ignacio – are commingled with Durango’s for marketing purchases directed by Visit Durango. Durango voters in 2022 agreed to spread 45% of its visitor’s tax collections to transportation, the arts and councilor discretion.
While business groups, and Local First, mindful of the economic importance of tourism, lobbied the commissioners to apply 50% to housing and child care rather than 70%, the commissioners felt the $187,000 difference in 2023 proceeds would meaningfully add to the housing-child care impact and could be made up with tighter Visit Durango budgeting.
The editorial board recommends a “yes” vote on the November ballot to applying 70% of the county’s lodgers tax to child care and to housing.
