Stone County voters to decide on tourism tax on lodging

Stone County voters will be deciding on a possible new tax in next week's municipal election.

If passed by voters, a 3% tourism tax will be placed on lodging, including motels, hotels, bed and breakfasts and short-term rentals. Revenue from the tax would be used to market tourism in the Table Rock Lake area. The tax would be placed on lodging facilities in the southern part of Stone County, but would exclude the area of Indian Point.

"The money goes to the Stone County Commission. They're ultimately in charge of the funds," explained Sheila Thomas, President and CEO of the Table Rock Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. "They will determine how those funds are handled."

Thomas indicated that if the tax does pass, the Stone County Commission would probably hire a company to handle the marketing for the Table Rock Lake area.

Thomas also noted that getting the tourism tax on the ballot has been a long, drawn-out process, noting that there have been discussions of a tourism tax for many years.

If the Stone County Tourism tax does pass, it will be one of the lowest in the state, at just 3%.