BRISTOW, Okla. — Bristow voters approved an increase to the lodging tax.
The existing tax on hotels, campgrounds, and vacation rental homes will jump from 8% to 10%.
“It’ll help our town,” Vicki Groom, a longtime Bristow resident, said.
WATCH: Bristow voters approve lodging tax hike
2 News listened to Vicki Groom, one of the dozens of voters who made their voice heard.
“I voted Yes,” Groom said.
She voted yes because she sees growth for Bristow. After all, it sits right in the middle of Route 66 and is about to celebrate its centennial anniversary.
Groom’s lived in town for more than 50 of the 100 years of the Mother Road.
“You know [Bristow has] changed, but it’s still the same. It’s a good little town,” Groom said.
Meanwhile, downtown, Bret Fadely runs one of the unique Route 66 attractions, The Bristow Toy Museum.
POSITIVELY OKLAHOMA >>> Click here to see 2 News Anchor Julie Chin feature Fadely and the Toy Museum
He sees his fair share of Route 66 pilgrims.
“You meet a lot of people coming through from everywhere, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, they come from everywhere and everybody’s happy,” Fadely said.
The most memorable visitor, he says, was a Polish man.
“He was on a bicycle, he started in Chicago on his bicycle and he was really interesting,” Fadely said.
People like that Polish man will pay for the tax hike.
2 News Oklahoma’s Brodie Myers spoke with Mayor Kris Wyatt over the phone seeking more info on the city’s plans.
“This is a great opportunity, it was a great opportunity for us to put it on the ballot,” Wyatt said, “It’s already in place. It will not affect any of the local residents … unless they are the ones paying for a hotel room.”
According to Route Magazine more than 2 million visitors drive the Mother Road each year. That number should spike a bit for the centennial.
Mayor Wyatt said there are no concrete plans to spend the money, but it could impact the next hundred years of Bristow and Route 66.
“It’s just like planning for the future,” Wyatt said.
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