This bill proposes to allow municipalities to collect a public safety assessment on hotel occupancies to fund municipal services related to increased tourism and transient traffic. The assessment would apply to each occupancy in hotels, which include inns, motels, lodging homes, rooming houses, boarding houses, and hostels. The collected revenues would be deposited into a capital reserve fund, tourism support fund, revolving fund, or other special revenue fund as authorized by the municipality's legislative body. These funds would be used to augment funding for the cost of municipal services associated with tourism and transient traffic, and they would not be considered part of the general fund surplus.
The bill outlines the process for adopting the public safety assessment, which includes a public hearing and a vote by the town or city's legislative body. The assessment can be collected as a daily charge of up to $2 per occupancy per 24-hour period or as a percentage of the occupancy price, with a cap of $2 per day. Occupancies priced at $40 or less per day would be exempt from the fee. The maximum duration for which the fee can be collected during a single visit is 30 days. The bill also provides for enforcement powers for nonpayment, which are the same as those for enforcing ordinances. The act would take effect upon its passage.