GOLDEN — Seeing a need to finance future needs, a Golden City Council member has suggested putting a lodging tax question before the voters.
Bill Fisher, who joined the council last spring, said other metro-area cities have lodging taxes that average 3.3 percent, with Denver on the higher end at 10.75 percent.
In Golden, which currently has no lodging tax, the initiative would bring in an estimated $100,000 annually per 1 percent of tax, so a 5 percent tax would realize a half-million dollars per year.
“We need to start the conversation on how we start investing in the future of Golden and to see how we can get these things done,” Fisher said.
The tax revenues could be earmarked for a local bus system to link with RTD’s West Corridor and Gold Line end-of-the-line stations at the Jefferson County government building and West 52nd Avenue and Ward Road, Fisher said.
Some of the money also could be used to improve cultural and recreational amenities that draw visitors and an improved marketing program.
Tonight, Fisher will present the lodging tax idea to the City Council during its study session.
“People have already started talking about it and it’s important to get the council involved and have it be a public conversation,” Fisher said.
Mayor Jacob Smith said there are “a few steps” before anything concrete is ready, saying Fisher “is looking to see if there is enough council interest to pursue the idea.”
Asked if the issue could be on the November ballot, Smith replied, “It’s unlikely,” pointing to the short timeframe to prepare a proposal and have adequate community discussion.
Some innkeepers, such as the owner of The Dove bed and breakfast, say other revenue solutions should be explored so the burden doesn’t fall on the lodging industry.
“Our current sales tax is 7.6 percent and if we added a 7.9 percent lodging tax on top of that, the total tax would be 15.5 percent,” said The Dove’s Annette Little.
Not only would that be the highest in the state, Little said, visitors and business travelers would shun the 483 rooms available in Golden and stay in one of the 1,400 rooms outside of the city and pay a 10.6 percent total tax.
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
