LG Council Votes to Support New Bed & Breakfast Tax

In cities around the state, including all incorporated ones in Fayette County, people staying in hotels pay an extra tax on their stay.

Those funds go towards efforts to encourage more tourism.

Currently the hundred or so bed-and-breakfasts outside city limits in Fayette County don’t collect those taxes.

But an effort, spear-headed by the non-profit Fayette County Tourism Association, has begun to start collecting a county-wide hotel/motel tax at those rural lodging areas.

Monday, a trio of representatives from that tourism association spoke to the La Grange City Council in an effort to get its formal support for the effort.

Julie Maffei, a member of the association, told council members that Round Top and Carmine town councils had already passed resolutions of support for the plan.

Association member Kirk Pate informed the council that Schulenburg and Flatonia city councils were going to consider the issue later this year.

The tax would amount to seven percent of the cost of visitors’ stay in these bed-and-breakfasts and would be collected by the county. 

Those funds (estimated to be about $40,000-$50,000 collected a year) could be spent by the county on tourism-related marketing of this area, or more likely the county would contract with the Fayette County Tourism Association to spend the funds.

 The La Grange council voted unanimously to pass a resolution of support.

In other items discussed at Monday’s meeting: 

• The city has a handful of applicants it plans to interview for the Police Chief vacancy (current chief Jackie Skelton is retiring in Dec.). Those interviews are planned for Nov. 14 and, if needed, Nov. 15.  
• The city recently held its Secure Document Shred Day on Oct. 15 and citizens brought a whopping 5,700 pounds of documents to be shredded security purposes.
• About 60 businesses have signed up to hand out candy at Monday’s Trick-or-Treat on the Square, which begins at 4 p.m. Monday.  
• New play structures are up at White Rock and Kruschel Parks with only handicapped access areas yet to be completed.
• A completely new city water well is being drilled on N. Main near the site of existing well infrastructure.    
• Council cancelled its Dec. 26 meeting.