Two weeks ago, Carbon officials accepted public input about the possibility of changing how restaurant and transient room taxes are utilized within the county.
The county commission reviewed the original resolution, then amended and adopted the new document last Wednesday evening.
Initially, several members of the community voiced concerns about the fact that the original resolution would cut allocations for events funded in the past so that the money could be used to construct more venues.
The resolution approved by the county commission contains the following:
•Section one denotes that advisory committees should meet quarterly.
In the initial resolution, the meetings were to be conducted only once a year.
But opposition came from groups stating that they needed more meetings for flexibility.
The commission decided to conduct four meetings per year.
•Section two sets forth a procedure for the commission to consult with the restaurant tax board and the travel council if the county officials disagree with the funding recommendations made by the panels.
The travel council oversees the transient room tax.
According to the county commissioner, the provision will clear up the conflict that has arisen by the volunteer boards feeling left out of the loop.
•Section three adds two additional members to the restaurant tax advisory board.
The provision specifies that the new members should be selected from statutory industries not presently represented on the board.
Presently, most of the members are from the motel/hotel and food service industry.
The resolution will bring two different people onto the advisory panel from industries like recreational facilities, museums, cultural attractions, etc.
•The final section of the resolution defines the kinds of projects and activities eligible to receive money from the taxes.
But the provision does not lock the county commission or the tax advisory boards into any percentage like the original resolution did.
The resolution works toward honoring the laws for the taxes as written. It also more closely defines permanent venues.
One of the considerations in awarding the tax monies will be the perceived value of the venue or event to the county as a whole.
“The main thing to remember is that this is a starting point for where we are going,” pointed out Commissioner Mike Milovich.
“I think this resolution covers all the bases we have discussed except the cooperation issues between the restaurant tax board and the travel council board,” stated Commissioner Bill Krompel. “We will be working on that.”
Acting on unrelated agenda items at last week’s meeting, the commissioners:
•Discussed the issue of organizers having to provide insurance to stage events.
Some residents have indicated that Carbon County has been losing events, particularly horse-related activities, because of the liability insurance guidelines.
The commission is in the process of revising the rules for business licenses for onetime and limited events to make the situation more tenable.
However, the commissioners stressed that the county must address the matter of liability insurance coverage.
•Approved several applications for property tax exemptions. However, the lawmakers tabled acting on an application from Carbon Country Clubbecause it is unclear whether the exemption rules and regulations apply. At present, nine holes at the course are county owned and exempt. But the first nine may not be exempt because they are owned by the country club.
•Approved a jurat to start the ball rolling on the lease/purchase of land for a gun range southeast of the airport.
•Appointed Tom Matthews to fill a vacancy on the county’s weed board.
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