By Karla Pomeroy
Editor
Lodging tax increases as of Jan. 1
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WORLAND – Travelers in Wyoming on Jan. 1 and after found that they were paying more for lodging than they did in 2020, with a new lodging tax going into effect last Friday.
The 2020 Wyoming Legislature approved House Enrolled Act No. 7 in the budget session in March 2020. According to the Legislative Service Office, the act imposes a tax of 5% on sales of lodging services in the state.
The act specifies distribution of the tax, providing that 3% shall be dedicated to state revenues, with 80% of that amount deposited in the Wyoming tourism account and the remainder deposited in the Wyoming tourism reserve and projects account. The remaining 2% of the 5% tax is dedicated to local governments on a county-by-county basis with distribution to cities and towns that have imposed a local optional lodging tax in proportion to the amount raised by the local optional tax.
Washakie County currently imposes 4% lodging tax that is approved by voters every four years. Voters approved the lodging tax most recently in 2018.
The act, according to the LSO, provides for a delay in the implementation of the 2% portion of the statewide tax for cities, towns and counties that currently impose a local optional lodging tax. This ensures that the lodging tax in the state does not exceed 7%.
The 2% tax is delayed until the next time that the city, town or county is required to vote on the imposition of its local optional lodging tax. According to Worland-Ten Sleep Visitor Council Board member Terry Livingston, in 2022, Washakie County will ask the voters to approve 2% instead of 4% with the other 2% being levied by the state through the legislation.
Council Board Chair Jonna Abel said the council receives funds from all lodging facilities in the county, including motels, hotels, campgrounds, bed and breakfast and AirBNB.
She said they usually receive about $96,000 annually although they received fewer funds in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic limiting people’s travel. They did receive a CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) grant through the Wyoming Office of Tourism.
Abel said they used the CARES Act funding to promote safe travel including mask wearing. While primarily advertising on social media, they did advertise safe travel on a billboard outside of Buffalo that featured the mammoth sculpture wearing a mask.
The visitors council also contracts for services with the Washakie Museum & Cultural Center to function as their visitors center for the county and mail out packets to potential visitors; Julie Cross for business management including preparing the budget; and Vision West for marketing and managing the website, bighornmountaincountry.com.
The enrolled act also specifies what activities qualify as the promotion of travel and tourism, similar to what state statute already specified for the county taxes.
Abel said there are several ongoing and annual events that they help promote including Nowoodstock, Indigenous People’s Day, Climbing Festival, Wyoming Championship BBQ and Bluegrass Festival and Ten Sleep Fourth of July Rodeo.
She said any event that will bring people in to potentially stay at least one night in Washakie County is eligible for funding from the council.
Many of the ongoing events are budgeted. The council also offers grant funding for other events that bring people to Washakie County.
The council includes two board members from Ten Sleep and two from Worland, appointed by their respective council, two at-large appointed by the county commissioners. There is one more at-large who is the tourism director for the region, this is currently held by Quinton Blair of Cody.
The council meets on the fourth Thursdays of every meeting. The next meeting will be at noon on Jan. 28 via Zoom.
With the 7% lodging tax and 5% sales tax in Washakie County, visitors will be paying 12% in taxes for staying in the county.
According to the Wyoming Department of Revenue, full lodging with sales tax range from 10% to 13%. Hot Springs County lodging and sales tax is at 13%, Big Horn County is at 10% for lodging in the county with Lovell at 11% and Greybull at 11%. Park County is also 11%. Other area county rates are Sheridan County at 13% and Johnson County at 11%.
