Though early voting for the Dec. 10 election is underway, the organizations behind tax measures aimed at generating dollars for city-parish tourism efforts and economic development in north Baton Rouge are still hoping to sway voters to pass the proposals.
Officials at Visit Baton Rouge and the Raising Cane’s River Center are pushing for residents to approve a 2% increase of an existing hotel occupancy tax that local hotel guests pay for nightly room rates. Visit Baton Rouge has created an online page specifically about the tax proposition, which is estimated to generate $2.6 million annually for tourism efforts.
Also, representatives of the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District are planning to visit churches, knock on doors, post signs and visit morning TV and radio shows in hopes of galvanizing support for a separate 2% hotel occupancy tax.
Rinaldi Jacobs, who worked with state Sen. Regina Barrow to plan the district, says the money would be used to market north Baton Rouge for economic development.
“The election is going to be won and lost in north Baton Rouge,” Jacobs says.
The taxes are among several items on the Dec. 10 ballot, which includes runoffs in several Metro Council races, the Baton Rouge mayoral race and the U.S. Senate race. Also on the ballot are proposals to continue the city-parish Green Light Plan for infrastructure improvements.
Visit Baton Rouge says increasing the hotel tax would create new sources of funding for tourism efforts, freeing up an annual $1 million in the city-parish budget for other uses, a news release says. Should the tax pass, the proceeds will be split between the River Center and Visit Baton Rouge.
“This measure would create a recurring revenue stream each year, paid mostly by the out-of-town visitors coming here, that would allow us to upgrade our facility to be the premiere regional venue for the type of marquee events that we deserve,” says Michael Day, Raising Cane’s River Center general manager, in a prepared statement.
The increased tax would not be charged at hotels in Baker, Zachary, Central and the area within the boundaries of the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District.
Rinaldi says the new 2% tax, which would generate about $261,000 annually, would help the district develop its first budget.
The district’s boundaries include Harding Boulevard on the north, Florida Boulevard on the south, North Sherwood Forest Drive on the east and Scenic Highway on the west.
