It won’t be until June that the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District will see a dime of the estimated $261,000 that will be generated annually from a new 2% occupancy tax on hotel stays within the district.
Rinaldi Jacobs, the district’s interim executive director, says the handful of hotels within the district will start collecting the tax in April. They’ll begin remitting the funds to the city-parish in May, and the economic development district will start getting the proceeds the following month.
“$260,000 spread out over a year is not a whole lot of money,” Jacobs says, adding the money will not come in a lump sum.
Jacobs also notes the annual proceeds from the tax, if divided among every resident living within the district, would equal just $1.06 per person.
At a meeting held Wednesday evening to discuss housekeeping matters such as establishing regular meeting times and committees, the district’s 13-member board announced a timeline for hiring a permanent executive director. Resumes will be accepted until Jan. 15, with the goal of hiring an executive director by early February. The executive director’s annual salary will range from $55,000 to $100,000, including benefits. Also Wednesday, the board set a regular meeting time of 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month.
Voters in the district approved the hotel occupancy tax on Dec. 10. Jacobs says the district intends to use the money to market the area to businesses and industries that can bring jobs and spur economic development. It will aggressively pursue grants and partner with organizations that can teach residents how to become community developers and licensed contractors, he says.
The district also hopes to change the narrative about north Baton Rouge and combat negative perceptions about the area.
“We have to put out the narrative that business is good in North Baton Rouge,” Jacobs says.
—Alexandria Burris
