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Per the Cortez City Code §14A 1-13 the lodger's tax has several uses including advertising the community, improving services, financing new facilities, attracting conferences to the community, and the beautification of Cortez. The current lodger's tax is 2% of gross taxable sales for lodging within the City limits. Over the past several years, this has brought in an average of $250K per year of which a large portion has been under contract with Mesa Verde Country to provide tourism development services, and a smaller amount used for the Cortez Business Beautification Grant. Council will need to discuss their views regarding the future collection and proposed uses of the lodger's tax, and how much of an increase would be necessary for the decided outcome and uses.
If Council determines an increase in the lodger's tax will benefit the City of Cortez, a ballot question will need to be proposed to the electors of the City. This could be coordinated with Montezuma County for the November, 2026 election.
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