Monterey City Council voted 5-0 to ask voters this November if they want to raise the hotel tax 2% from 10 to 12%. The hotel tax hasn't been raised in 35 years and tourists, not residents, will pay the tax. This ballot proposal is supported by the Monterey Vista Neighborhood Association and the Monterey Library Board. Funds will help restore programs lost to budget cuts due to Covid 19 such as the Sports Center, Parks and Recreation, Library, and Public Safety as well as help fund neighborhood improvement projects.
The neighborhood presidents unanimously urged city council to adopt at least a 2% increase in the hotel tax and were opposed phasing it over time because the money to restore city programs is needed immediately. During council deliberations, council member Alan Haffa observed: "“Hospitality is the engine that drives this economy. We would not be the same city if not for hospitality. But my first obligation as a policymaker is to listen to residents and what I’ve heard from residents is quite clear.”
To read more see this Monterey County Herald article:
