Winston County District One Commissioner Rutger Hyche proposed a lodging tax at the commission meeting on Tuesday, January 21st. The proposal calls for a ten percent tax on revenues from short-term rentals in Winston County. That proposal was tabled for discussion until the next meeting in February.
According to Commissioner Hyche if the commission approves the measure, it would then be sent to the state legislature where it would be reviewed and placed on a future ballot for a public vote.
Hyche says there are 118 short-term rentals registered with the county tax assessor’s office. 117 of those properties are within his district one and only one other is located in district two.
The proposal states revenue generated by the tax would be divided up as follows:
Road and Bridge Fund: 55%
Sheriff’s Office: 20%
Promotion of Tourism Fund: 14%
Volunteer Fire Departments in Winston County: 5%
Other Fire Departments with coverage in Winston: 1%
Winston County General Fund: 5%
Hyche went on to say he believes there are more lodging facilities in the county than are currently registered, and an effort must be made to locate and enroll those properties in the tax collection program.