Tag Archives: Hotel Occupancy Tax
Tourism leaders see multiyear hit to tourism business and hotel tax from Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic is expected to cause a drop in local tourism and events business for at least five years, with a decline of at least 25 percent in hotel business this year and an ongoing drag on the city’s…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 15, 2020
City braces for cuts to cultural arts funding, citing likely drastic hotel tax drop
The city has advised local artists and cultural contractors to hold off on submitting proposals for the next cycle of Cultural Arts project funding because of a likely drastic cut in arts money due to the impact of the Covid-19…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 21, 2020
Arts community hears feedback on city's diversity goals for cultural funding
The initial summary of feedback on how the city should consider diversity and equity in funding decisions for Cultural Arts found a wide array of concerns shared from more than 600 participants in recent community input sessions. The presentation Saturday…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 27, 2020
County sets up new committee to put pressure on city leaders over Expo Center
Travis County leaders want to put pressure on the city of Austin to help them rebuild the aging exposition center. On Tuesday the Commissioners Court voted unanimously to set up a nine-member committee tasked with “engaging and educating Travis County…
Austin • By Jack Craver • Jan 8, 2020
Tourism Commission hears latest on convention center progress, homelessness funds
City staffers are engaged in talks with the owners of two and a half blocks of property located west of the Austin Convention Center in an attempt to learn what kinds of sales, leases or other property agreements can be…
Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 18, 2019
Music commissioners want urgency, care in spending hotel tax money for industry
Members of the Music Commission and interest groups related to the city’s music industry are pushing for quick decisions on how to spend an initial pool of Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars that City Council allocated for the city’s commercial music…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 9, 2019
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Eckhardt offers the city Palm School in exchange for expo center, hotel tax
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt says that she and her colleagues on the Commissioners Court are willing to give away the Palm School to the city of Austin. But they want a couple of big things in return. In a…
Travis County • By Jack Craver • Nov 20, 2019
Eckhardt hopes city will pare down convention center plans for sake of Expo Center
Travis County voters gave county government the go-ahead last week to rebuild the aging exposition center on Decker Lane, but it could be a decade before the project breaks ground. County Proposition A, which passed with 63 percent of the…
Elections • By Jack Craver • Nov 15, 2019
Task force to recommend uses for hotel tax money for music industry
With millions of dollars from the city’s hotel tax expected soon to be available for use by the local music industry, the Music Commission is forming a task force to advise City Council on the best way to use those…
Music & Entertainment • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 14, 2019
Council approves $3M annually from hotel tax for musicians, venues
For the first time, Austin’s city government will provide direct annual funding to the local commercial music industry, including venues and performing musicians. On Thursday, City Council unanimously approved an ordinance and amendments to city code covering the allocation of…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Sep 23, 2019
Eyeing hotel tax dollars, Music Commission signs on to support convention center
With City Council set to consider two items on Thursday related to the proposed expansion of the Austin Convention Center, the Austin Music Commission voted last week to support the plan, which is projected to cost more than $1 billion…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Sep 16, 2019
Should hotel taxes and festival fees contribute to public safety coffers?
Austin’s festivals are most certainly a tourist attraction. But does that mean the public safety costs associated with those events should be financed through money earmarked for arts and tourism? With Council’s vote to raise the Hotel Occupancy Tax by…
