8/14/2019 City Council Declares WAR on County Commissioners 27 June 2006

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Tuesday, June 27, 2006

 

City Council declares WAR on County Commissioners

At the Lancaster City Council meeting of Tuesday, June 27, 2006, President Julianne

Dickson added an unannounced item to the agenda. The subject of Resolution 40 was notannounced at all before the resolution was read, which prevented practically all Lancaster 

City residents from having the opportunity to speak out against this resolution.

Resolution 40 of 2006 attacked the County Commissioners and their proposal to change

the area from which the "hotel tax" is collected. This ordinance is full of inaccuracies and

outright lies. For example, the ordinance states reducing the area where the room tax iscollected "would damage the economy of Lancaster County, drastically and negatively

impact tourist marketing dollars, and undermine the efforts to establish the City of 

Lancaster as a tourist destination for years to come."

Tourist marketing dollars, earmarked for the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and

Visitors Bureau, are mostly collected from the 1.1% excise tax on hotel rooms inLancaster County. The area where this tax would be collected would not change under 

the County's proposal. State law allows the excise tax to be increased to as much as 3%.

The rest of the tourist marketing dollars come from 20% of the 3.9% "hotel tax".Although this revenue would be reduced if the area that pays the "hotel tax" is reduced,

the County Commissioners have promised to make up this revenue by increasing the

excise tax.

If anything, reducing the area where the hotel tax is collected would IMPROVE the

economy of Lancaster County. Since the "hotel tax" was enacted, there has been almostzero growth in hotel room nights sold in Lancaster County. Reducing the tax would make

outlying lodging more affordable.

The propose convention center would not be a "tourist destination". People who attendconventions spend their days (and some evenings) inside the convention facility, not

spending money that would promote economic growth. Most of these attendees will stay

in hotels outside Lancaster City, spending most of their money there and nearby, NOT indowntown Lancaster. If anything, the proposed convention center would drive tourists

away from Lancaster City, simply because of the lack of parking resulting from visitors

to conventions tying up so many spaces.

City Council President Julianne Dickson is a coward. She intentionally arranged this

display of arrogance this way, so that many people never had a chance to respond.

In Julianne Dickson's speech at the end of the City Council meeting, she spoke of the

City and County working together. Yet Julianne Dickson and City Council have just

driven a huge wedge between the City and County, because of their demands that theCounty Commissioners obey City Council's wishes. Had Julianne Dickson and City

Council really wanted to work with the County Commissioners, they would have

8/14/2019 City Council Declares WAR on County Commissioners 27 June 2006

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attempted to establish a dialog, instead of demanding that the County submit to their 

wishes.

With this shameless display of public posturing, Julianne Dickson and City Council have

 permanently damaged the City's credibility. It is obvious that until the current members

of City Council are voted out of office, the City's credibility will continue to deteriorate.

How much more damage will Julianne Dickson and City Council inflict on the citizens of 

Lancaster? How much deeper will be the divisions become, as a direct result of actions by Julianne Dickson, John Grapura, Jose Urdanetta, and the rest of City Council?

Text of the ordinance:

 FILE OF THE CITY CLERK 

COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 40 - 2006  INTRODUCED - JUNE 27, 2006 

 ADOPTED BY COUNCIL - JUNE 27, 2006 

 A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LANCASTER EXPRESSING

STRONG CONVICTION THAT LIMITING THE COLLECTION OF HOTEL ROOM 

TAXES WOULD DAMAGE THE ECONOMY OF LANCASTER COUNTY, DRASTICALLY AND NEGATIVELY IMPACT TOURISM MARKETING DOLLARS, AND

UNDERMINE THE EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH THE CITY OF LANCASTER AS A

TOURISM DESITNATION FOR YEARS TO COME.

WHEREAS, in 1999 a previous Board of Lancaster County Commissioners approved a

3.9-percent tax on hotel room rentals to generate funding to construct and market a

 publicly owned convention center; and 

WHEREAS, since that time public/private funding mechanisms have been used to build 

indoor event spaces throughout South Central Pennsylvania including the Giant Center in Hershey, the Sovereign Center in Reading, the York Expo Center, and expansion to the

State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg; and 

WHEREAS, these are clear examples of successful public/private partnerships that have

 strengthened the ability of surrounding Counties to compete for tourism and event 

dollars; and 

WHEREAS, Lancaster County Commissioners have adopted a comprehensive plan which

 states that “the development of tourism products in the City of Lancaster is an exciting 

and vital component of the future of tourism in Lancaster County”; and 

WHEREAS, public confidence is diminished and the credibility of government is

compromised when elected officials are unwilling to uphold policies and honor commitments made by predecessors; and 

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WHEREAS, the room tax as adopted is a reasonable way to raise revenue by taxing onlythose individuals who elect to stay in hotels or motels in Lancaster County.

 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Lancaster does

express its strong conviction that to limit the collection of such taxes would work to

damage the economy of Lancaster County, drastically and negatively impact tourismmarketing dollars, and undermine our efforts to establish the City of Lancaster as a

tourism destination for years to come.

- posted by Artie See @ 11:00 PM