transient room tax
Posted inCulture

Two Grants Ask for Big Ideas

Oregon Community Foundation and Bend Cultural Tourism Fund grants now open for applications
Teafly Peterson

For local artists looking for opportunities to support their creative endeavors, check out these two. Bend Cultural Tourism Fund Perhaps one of the best byproducts of Bend’s tourism is the taxes that come from it—which get directly turned into art opportunities. The application for the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund, stemming from hotel/short term rental taxes […]

Posted inOpinion

Portland is Finalizing a Deal to Use Tourism Dollars to Battle Homelessness.

It’s a Precedent Central Oregon Should Follow.
The Source Staff

Just about one year ago, this editorial page highlighted the efforts underway in Portland to direct some of the money collected through tourism-related taxes to a fund supporting people on the verge of homelessness. It was a novel idea that caught our attention then—and now that the arrangement, as reported by the Portland Tribune last […]

Posted inOpinion

Robbing the Prince to Pay the Pauper

The Source Staff

In our recent endorsement interview for Bend Park & Recreation District (BPRD) Board Position 1, we spent a good amount of time discussing “system development charges” (SDCs), a fee that housing developers pay toward Park District (and City) projects. Why so much attention to this topic? Because the City wants BPRD to join in offering […]

Posted inOpinion

A Success Story!

The Source Staff

A little more than a year ago, voters approved Measure 9-94, which ratcheted up the transient room tax (TRT) in the City of Bend from 9 to 10.4 percent. A portion of the funds generated from that additional tax on tourists was—and is—directed toward a cultural tourism fund for local cultural organizations to spend on […]

Posted inNews

Wrapping Up Business

City Council’s final meeting of year considers AirBnB
Avatar photo Erin Rook

In its last work session of the year, City Council received the results of an audit of vacation rentals—and the results were better than anticipated. The audit had been sparked by a perception that rentals of private homes through sites like AirBnB were not largely ducking out on the transient room tax code, explained City […]

Posted inNews

A Good, but Incomplete Idea

The Transient Room Tax increase leaves questions unanswered
Avatar photoAvatar photo Erin Rook and Phil Busse

Let’s be clear: We approve an increase in the Transient Room Tax for the City of Bend, as proposed by Measure 9-94 (not to be confused with Measure 9-96 for a similar room tax increase in Deschutes County). In fact, we think that the TRT for the City of Bend should be more ambitious. The […]

Posted inNews

Transient Room Tax Resolution Passes

Avatar photo Jesse Kratz

The Bend City Council put months of discussion to rest Wednesday night by passing the Transient Room Tax Resolution, 5-2. Voters will decide in November if the tax-rate on rooms should jump from 9 to 10.4 percent. The decision didn’t come easily, though. After hearing support from several business figures in the community, council members […]

Posted inNews

Compromise Reached on Transient Room Tax

Avatar photo James Williams

The contentious transient room tax issue was resolved moments before tonight’s scheduled town hall at Bend’s Municipal Court where both sides intended to continue the conversation on the proposed room tax-rate hike. Instead of jumping from 9 to 11 percent, as was suggested by Bend’s tourism agency and others, a compromise was found in 10.4 […]

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