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Bell, California, Hotel Tax, Measure T (March 2017)
| Measure T: Bell Hotel Tax |
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| The basics |
| Election date: |
| March 7, 2017 |
| Status: |
 Approved
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| Topic: |
| Local hotel tax Expires in: Never |
| Related articles |
| Local hotel tax on the ballot March 7, 2017 ballot measures in California Los Angeles County, California ballot measures City tax on the ballot |
| See also |
| Bell, California |
A hotel tax measure was on the ballot for Bell voters in Los Angeles County, California, on March 7, 2017. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of authorizing the city to increase its hotel tax to 12 percent. Going into the election, city law authorized a hotel tax of up to 8 percent, but the city council suspended this tax. |
| A no vote was a vote against authorizing the city to increase its hotel tax to 12 percent. |
Election results
| Measure T | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 1,136 | 66.86% | ||
| No | 563 | 33.14% | ||
- Election results from Los Angeles County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
Shall the ordinance, to permit the Council to levy generally on visitors to the City a maximum 12% tax on hotel/motel charges, estimated to annually raise $285,000 for general City purposes, including for law enforcement and street repairs, and without a sunset clause, be adopted?[2] |
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Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Bell city attorney:
| “ |
Measure T permits the levying generally on visitors to the City of no more than a twelve percent (12%) tax on hotel/motel charges paid within the City of Bell. The actual tax rate will be established by ordinance of the majority of the members of the City Council but could not exceed the 12% cap. The tax is levied only on persons staying at a hotel or motel in the City for thirty days or less - the tax is not imposed on City of Bell property owners. Measure T was placed on the ballot by the City Council. The City Council has heard a great deal from the community about their desire for better local services, especially public safety, streets and pothole repair, and community beautification. Measure T is estimated to annually generate (if the maximum tax rate of twelve percent (12%) is levied and with approximately 163 hotel/motel rooms in the city) approximately $285,000 per year to be deposited into the City's General Fund, to be used for general City purposes including law enforcement, street repairs and community development. This type of tax is known as a transient occupancy tax, or “TOT,” and is common in many California cities. For example, the neighboring City of Commerce has a transient occupancy tax of twelve percent (12%), the neighboring City of Bell Gardens has a transient occupancy tax of eight percent (8%), and the transient occupancy tax paid in many California cities is twelve percent (12%) or higher. The proposed TOT will provide the City of Bell with locally-controlled funding for City services that are protected by law from the State Legislature. Measure T proposes amending existing Chapter 3.24 of Title 3 of the Bell Municipal Code, and repealing Ordinance 1022 which was passed in 1990 by the City Council to suspend collection of the then existing TOT which was 8%. Measure T reserves the right of the Council to make changes to the TOT not affecting the maximum rate approved by the voters. This measure will take effect only if a majority of those voting on this ballot measure cast a “Yes” vote at the March 7, 2017 general municipal election.[2] |
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Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the Bell City Council.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Bell Local hotel tax Measure T. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Los Angeles County Elections Office, "CONSOLIDATED MUNICIPAL AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS MARCH 7, 2017: MEASURES APPEARING ON THE BALLOT," accessed January 8, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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