“Voters will end lodging tax debate” plus 1 more

Posted: 08 Feb 2011 05:03 AM PST

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. -- Today, Jefferson City voters will decide whether or not to increase the lodging tax.

Right now, those who stay at Jefferson City hotels and motels pay a 3% tax.

The question on the ballot would raise the tax to 7%.

The additional revenue would got to fund a proposed conference center in downtown Jefferson City.

The proposed $42 million conference center is at the center of the debate.

Opponents said the city doesn't have the necessary tools to make the facility successful and the tax will only hurt the already weak economy.

"Higher taxes, in a very weak economy doesn't make sense no matter which way you look at it," Double Tree Hotel General Manager, Vik Puri said.

He said now is not the time to build a conference center.

"There's no demand, but you're going to increase supply, does that fit basic economics? I don't think it does."

Supporters of the tax said just the opposite and believe the old saying is true: 'if you build it, they will come.'

"It would bring additional people to the city, it would bring additional people to the downtown area which supports and bolsters downtown businesses restaurants, bars, retail establishments and so on," City Councilman Jim Penfold said.

The site for the conference center sits off of the Whitton Expressway near the Capital Plaza Hotel.

"It's a beautiful site, its right next to the prettiest capitol in the united states , it's got the infrastructure already in place, its got a major highway, it's a perfect location," Jefferson City mayor John Landwehr said.

Mayor Landwehr said it's time the city gets help from visitors to pay for improvements.

"When I go to St. Louis, Kansas City, or Chicago and I get my hotel bill, I always look at the bottom line and there's always some significant add-ons," Mayor Landwehr said. "That's because those communities have realized that when visitors come to town those visitors can help pay for things and we're not real good at that yet."

However, a group called Responsible Community Growth says the city needs to focus on providing a more vibrant experience for visitors before building the conference center.

"They will look for places to go, good places to eat, and particularly places where they can go and see a show and really take advantage of the environment and bring their families with them as well, we haven't planned for that, we need to," Chairman for Responsible Community Growth Tom Piper said.

"It could be the Taj Mahal of convention centers, but if people have nothing to do, why are they going to come?" Puri said.

Those on both sides of the issue want residents to know that it is only those who stay at hotels who will pay the tax.

The Truman hotel, Capitol Plaza Hotel and Holiday Inn Express are also opposed to the tax.

Those for it include the convention and visitors bureau and the city council.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Collateral Damage - WikiLeaks In The Crosshairs.

Critics say pizza menu crackdown sought by Orlando hotels goes too far

Posted: 08 Feb 2011 11:52 AM PST

Legislation sought by Orlando hotels to make it harder for outsiders to distribute pizza menus and other fliers on their properties cleared another hurdle in Tallahassee this morning, but it picked up opposition from critics who say it gives too much power to police.

The so-called "Tourist Safety Act" passed the Senate Criminal Justice Committee on a 4-1 vote, with lobbyists representing Walt Disney World, the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association and several law-enforcement agencies testifying in support.

The legislation (SB 366) would impose stiffer penalties on people who distribute fliers and brochures in hotels without express written permission from the hotel, which is a misdemeanor offense. It would raise the fine for an initial violation from $500 to $1,000, create new $2,000 and $3,000 fines for second- and third-time offenses, and allow police to seize property used to commit the crimes – including cars – under contraband-forfeiture laws more commonly associated with drug crimes.

But the most controversial provision would give police the ability to arrest people who violate the handbill law without first obtaining a warrant – even if they do not actually witness the crime taking place.

Boosters say requiring cops to witness the crimes is impractical given the size of some hotels.

"We're talking about establishments that are like cities. Some hotels have over 3,000 hotel rooms," said Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, the sponsor of the legislation. "It's virtually impossible for the handbill law that does exist today to be enforced."

But criminal-defense advocates said allowing authorities to arrest people even if they did not witness the crime or obtain a warrant a potentially dangerous expansion of police power. Bob Dillinger, the public defender for Florida's 6th circuit court in Pinellas County, said exceptions allowing warrantless arrests have historically been very limited, arising at first from concerns in domestic violence cases where a battered spouse might be afraid to provide a witness statement.

Dillinger, a vice president with the Florida Public Defender Association, suggested the legislation be rewritten to allow police to instead issue a notice to appear in court to someone they suspect has broken the handbill law. If the person does not make the appearance, a warrant could then be issued for their arrest, he said.

"We're concerned about expanding any of the exceptions to the warrantless arrest," Dillinger said.

Lisa Hurley, a Tallahassee lawyer and a representative for the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said there are steps hotels themselves can take to prevent such crimes, such as installing surveillance cameras or beefing up security staffing.

"I respectfully submit that law enforcement is not powerless" under the current law, Hurley added. "What the law does provide for them is to take an affidavit from the owner or manager [of the hotel] and then, like every other misdemeanor, you have to go in front of a judge. And we have a neutral arbitrator, a judge who, after viewing the evidence, decides if the person committed a crime or if there's probable cause."

Hotels Lodging

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

“Voters will end lodging tax debate” plus 1 more

“Voters will end lodging tax debate” plus 1 more

0 comments:

Post a Comment

FEEDJIT Live Traffic Feed

Popular Posts