Lodging taxes aid Sarpy sites |
| Posted: 05 Mar 2011 01:25 PM PST Revenues from Sarpy County's 5 percent lodging tax have more than tripled since 2005 and have contributed significantly to construction of the Werner Park baseball stadium at 126th Street and Nebraska Highway 370. Revenues soared from just over $300,000 for all of 2005 to just over $940,000 for all of 2010. The increase reflects the growth in the number of available hotel rooms across the county, from 971 in 2005 to 1,919 today. Lodging taxes are imposed on visitors when they check out of local hotels and motels. The revenue increase has aided not only construction of the ballpark but also has allowed Sarpy County Tourism to promote the county's other attractions in print, radio, television and on the Internet. By state statute, lodging taxes are spent three ways. Of Sarpy County's 5 percent tax, 1 percent of revenues goes to the state. The remainder is divided equally between two county funds — one dedicated to promoting the county's attractions, the other to such brick-and-mortar improvements as the Sumtur Amphitheater and Werner Park. County Fiscal Administrator Brian Hanson said revenues for the improvement fund accumulated for several years and were eventually directed to Werner Park construction costs. The county spent $535,000 for stadium construction in 2010 and another $463,000 was to be spent by the end of February. Those commitments left $584,329.78 in the improvement fund. The maximum stadium construction cost, as agreed to by the county and the Weitz Company, is $24.6 million. The promotional fund is used to promote existing attractions such as Riverfest at Haworth Park in Bellevue, events at Fontenelle Forest, Sarpy Area Arts Council's Arts Alive! in Papillion and other events likely to draw visitors to Sarpy County. Most of the promotional-fund revenue is used to print brochures and tour guides and to advertise Sarpy events. A small portion also is used to support local events directly. Two grants have been awarded so far in 2011. The Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce was given $9,810 for its Business to Business Expo, and transportation was provided at a cost of $847.50 for attorneys attending the Nebraska County Attorney Convention at the La Vista Conference Center. Linda Revis, tourism director for Sarpy County, said the relatively small amounts given directly to events reflect the competing need to spend money reaching out to populations beyond the county. "We don't get as many grant requests as one would expect," she said. "But our main goal is to reach people outside the county and fill our hotel rooms." Grant requests are referred to a seven-member advisory committee, which includes two members from the lodging industry. Their recommendations go to the County Board. The tourism office is provided rent-free at the Nebraska Crossing outlet mall on Interstate 80 near Gretna. The budget for tourism administration for 2011 was set by the Sarpy County Board at $113,237. That includes a $55,215 salary for Revis plus almost $30,000 for part-time help. Copyright ©2011 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald. 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 |
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