TULSA, Okla. — Given the city council's approval July 22, Tulsans will vote in November whether tourists should face a higher tax when visiting for the first time since the 1980s.
An updated hotel excise tax would be 9.9% instead of the current 5%, as 2 News reported on July 15.
- Previous coverage>>> HOTEL TAX INCREASE? Tulsa councilors could send it to voters in November
Visit Tulsa president Renee McKenney told 2 News after the council voted unanimously to send the measure to the ballot that the current tax rate hasn’t budged since 1984.
"For us, this is a big day in that we want to really make sure that we can take our guest money as they come in and re-invest that into our city,” McKenney said. "Those ways, we invest to keep up at the BOK (Center) and the Arvest Convention Center. And then it also makes a great place for Tulsans all around."
"The reason why many of those (artist) acts and conferences come to Tulsa is because Visit Tulsa goes out and recruits many of those folks," councilor Anthony Archie told2 News. "What we see is, we have underfunded our tourism department. They are understaffed. And if we gave them the resources that we needed, we would be able to continue to bring in some of those acts that we are losing to Dallas or Kansas City."
The biggest chunk of revenue from the tax would go to interior fixes at Arvest Convention Center and BOK Center beginning in January.
Other big items in the July 22 Tulsa City Council meeting included a million dollars approved for the 1921 Race Massacre Graves Investigation and more than a half-million dollars approved for the city’s Route 66 signs and welcome signs maintenance.
One million dollars in funding for the still unopened OK Pop Museum is expected to be voted on by the council on July 29.
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