Daviess County Judge-Executive Al Mattingly says a 1% tax increase on hotel rooms in the county is needed to support the new downtown convention center. Mattingly told Daviess County Fiscal Court members that unless the slight tax increase is enacted, city taxpayers would have to foot the cost of running the new convention center when it opens next year.
The Messenger-Inquirer reports the county already has a 5% tax on motel rooms, with most of that going to fund the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Mattingly told Fiscal Court members the only local residents impacted by the proposed tax increase would be those who stay in hotels in the community.
The Daviess County Judge-Executive predicts the proposed tax would raise between $100,000 and $150,000 a year for the convention center, which is a big part of Owensboro’s efforts to reinvent his downtown riverfront area.
