League of Women Voters of California
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Measure U Hotel-Motel Occupancy Tax City of Lodi City Ordinance - Majority Approval Required 5,424 / 39.4% Yes votes ...... 8,328 / 60.6% No votes
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| Results as of Dec 6 2:34am, 100.0% of Precincts Reporting (44/44) |
| Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments | | ||||
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Should the voters approve by a simple majority a 1% increase in the City of Lodi's Hotel-Motel Occupancy Tax? This tax is paid by those persons who occupy a hotel or motel room for a period of less than 30 days. The current rate of collection for this tax is 9%. The new rate of collection, if approved, would be 10%.
The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure U. If you desire a copy of the measure, please call the Lodi City Clerk's office at (209) 333-6702 and a copy will be mailed at no cost to you.
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Official Information City of Lodi
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| Arguments For Measure U | Arguments Against Measure U | ||
| Our organizations stand together in support of increasing the Hotel-Motel tax from 9% to 10%. This tax is NOT a tax on citizens of Lodi but placed on the out of town visitor to our City. It is assessed them when they stay at a local hotel or motel.
The revenue generated by this Tax goes into our City's general fund. The general fund supports City services such as police, fire, economic development and parks and recreation. In addition, the City's general fund has contributed funds to The Lodi Chamber of Commerce, The Downtown Lodi Business Partnership and The Lodi Conference & Visitors Bureau. These organizations support the community through business attraction and assistance, tourism, and Downtown promotions and events. When visitors come to Lodi, their spending contributes to our local economy. We believe the proposed small increase in the Hotel-Motel Occupancy Tax will benefit and enhance programs and services to the community while having a nominal impact to visitors. The Chamber and its Board of Directors represent 650 businesses in Lodi. The Downtown Lodi Business Partnership has over 200 members including Downtown merchants. The Lodi Conference and Visitors Bureau has many partners and constituents. We urge you to VOTE YES on Ordinance No. 1714. Thank You. Submitted by: /s/ Pat Patrick President/CEO Lodi Chamber of Commerce/s/ Nancy Wilkinson Executive Director Lodi Conference & Visitors/s/ Lew VanBuskirk Executive Director Downtown Lodi Business
Since we all want to attract visitors to Lodi, it does not make sense to require them to pay a higher occupancy tax, when those same tourist dollars might be spent in the community for food, gasoline, winery tours, entertainment, etc. Cherokee Lane hotel-motel owners are still burdened by revitalization assessments, school bond raises are being added to our property taxes, utility costs have risen, and since 9/11, our commercial insurance costs have tripled in some cases. Those costs increase room rates, and a 10% occupancy tax will further discourage tourists. Please help Lodi's small hotel-motel owner/operators to stay in business. We urge you to vote NO on Lodi city ordinance No. 1714. THANK YOU. Submitted by: /s/ Sunil Yadav Modern Motor Lodge/s/ Jayanti Bhakta Economy Inn/s/ Jay Patel Star Hotel/s/ Hasmukh Bhakta Rancho Grande Motel/s/ Suresh Patel Budget Inn | With our winery tours, street fairs, festivals, and other special events, the tourist dollars brought to Lodi are becoming increasingly important to local businesses. By charging the highest occupancy tax in the county, Lodi penalizes the visitors we want to attract.
In 1991, a surcharge of three percent was added to the existing six percent occupancy tax. That temporary tax, of course, did not go away and has never been approved by the voters of Lodi. With this proposed increase, that temporary tax now becomes permanent. By providing jobs, goods, and services, businesses are the life-blood of our community. While Cherokee Lane hotel/motel occupancy rates are dropping, our costs are rising. We are paying an assessment for the revitalization of Cherokee Lane, property taxes have gone up, utility costs have increased, and since 9/11 some insurance costs have been raised to three times the previous amount. Increasing the occupancy tax rate is bad for local business and bad for Lodi's prosperity. Please vote NO. Submitted by: /s/ Sunil Yadav Modern Motor Lodge/s/ Jayanti Bhakta Economy Inn/s/ Hasmukh Bhakta Rancho Grande Motel/s/ Suresh Patel Budget Inn/s/ Jay Patel Star Hotel
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Created: December 6, 2002 03:15 PST
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