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Dear editor:
Scott Weber’s recent letter regarding the lodging tax caught my interest. Mr. Weber stated, “The use of the bloated lodging tax is a joke.” He also stated, …
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Dear editor:
Scott Weber’s recent letter regarding the lodging tax caught my interest. Mr. Weber stated, “The use of the bloated lodging tax is a joke.” He also stated, “No mention of shooting.” Mr. Weber and I serve on Cody’s Wyoming Shooting Complex committee. He did not express any concerns about lodging tax funds being used to support the shooting complex and the future marketing of the complex. Nor did he express concern about the hours Park County Travel Council staff spent creating a valuable portion of the application detailing the county’s tourism assets, including hotel rooms, restaurants, and attractions. At best, Mr. Weber is inconsistent in his views. At worst, he is hypocritical in supporting using the lodging tax for his pet project but not for other valuable projects in the county.
Lodging tax dollars fund visitor centers and museums in Cody, Powell, and Meeteetse and provide grants and sponsorships for community attractions and events.
Some of the event sponsorships include:
• Buffalo Bill Cody Races
• Cody’s Downtown Trick-or-Treating
• Horsin’ Around Cody — Celebration of the annual horse sale at the Irma
• Cody’s Christmas Stroll
• Cody 59ers Rock Club
• Plaza Palooza Summer Arts Fest in Powell
• Wyoming Game Wardens Association Convention
• Soroptimist of Powell – Creative Craft Fair
• Plaza Diane — Sample the Season in Powell
• Cody’s Santa House
• CCSA — Avalanche Awareness Training
• YRA — Santa Fly-In
• Wyoming Ice Festival
• Yellowstone Songwriter’s Festival
• Wyoming Swimming Swimposium 2.0
• Wild West Balloon Festival
• Fireworks Committee
• Cody Stampede Rodeo
• Celebrities for a Cause
• Concerts in the Park
• Yellowstone Fire Soccer
• Devilstone Run
• Powell Wrestling Club
• Wyoming Agricultural Leadership Council
• Cody Romance Roundup
• CYAIR — Run the Runway
• FOAL Mustang Rendezvous
• Meeteetse Labor Day Events
Park County’s lodging tax was first passed in 1986, well before Mr. Weber moved to Cody. It has been approved every four years since. Tourists pay around 85% of the tax. Voters have consistently seen the value of marketing our county to stay competitive with our surrounding states and to support our tourist economy.
Please join me in supporting community events and voting YES for the lodging tax.
Sandy Newsome
Cody
As usual, Sandy Newsome takes facts out of context and distorts to her liberal advantage. This is why she will no longer represent the good people of Park County. Good riddance. I had stated publicly in meetings concerning the Lodging Tax, on Social Media and in a Letter To The Editor that never have I seen any promotion of Wyoming's hunting and shooting activities in their crummy videos or print the Tourism Council had generated. I'm still waiting.
Incorrectly, Newsome as usual, has tried to tie the proposed Wyoming State Shooting Complex to Lodging Tax. Not true. The $10 million to build the Shooting Complex came from millions of dollars from the Wyoming Fish & Game Department which is hunting/fishing/trapping license fees, Business Council and the Wyoming General Fund.
She dodges my main points about the 7% Lodging Tax: 1. The high rate on each hotel room actually stifles the use of hotel rooms by traveling businessmen, parents traveling to watch their student athletes, Wyoming citizens who tour the state, hunters, athletes, etc. 2. The "products" produced by the Lodging Tax and the Tourism Council are at best, LAUGHABLE. The videos are so poor that NONE could possibly stimulate a person to drive to Cody, Wyoming or any other place in our fair state. They are produced by non-Wyomingites and it shows. In fact, one pitiful effort was filmed in a Canadian coffee shop! Pitiful. Pathetic. Waste of money... 3. When you get a room in Jacksonholefornia there is a 6" list of TAXES on the bottom lines of the already bloated room rates! Many Wyoming folks and tourists avoid this liberal town at all costs. 4. The state of Wyoming is FLUSH with money. There is nearly $3 billion in surplus money. No further taxes are needed. Lodging Tax as well as Property Tax must be reduced. The Tourist bunch needs to request yearly funding just like the rest of the government entities. Why bilk the tourist? Why bilk businessmen such as me who travel the state constantly?
Absolute NO on the renewal of the Lodging Tax. NOT needed. NOT being used correctly. Some of the organizations Newsome names above are very poorly attended and do their own advertising. No amount of promotion is going to save them...
A couple of other points: Newsome barely attended any of the Shooting Committee meetings and has not been seen for months. Again: Yet another reason we're glad she's "moved on" from representing our state...
One more point: Newsome has ZERO experience in the shooting sports and it shows. I have told the committee over and over that we do NOT need to "promote" the Shooting Complex via print ads or video ads because the various shooting disciples we wish to schedule in for tournaments always promote to their memberships when and where the shoots are. So to think that ads from the Lodging Tax funds will populate the Shooting Complex is absurd. No other ranges in the USA depend on generic ads for their tournaments.
It should be noted that I moved to Wyoming in 1974. 1974 is 14 years before Newsome moved to Wyoming from CO. I'll be sooo glad that come January 1, 2025 we will have proper representation for the Park County people. Tax reduction and straight talk will be the order of the day.