Where are those tourists?
By Veronica Fisher
The county is hungry and understandably seeks every avenue for collecting more funds. The county has an idea, a dream, and it is a beautiful dream. Let”s get more tourists! Then we”ll have more money!
But wait a minute, look at all these small “mom and pop” motels. They”re filled with folks on fixed incomes or working for minimum wages, that”s not right! Why that violates the dream! They should have vacationers staying there and paying the county 9 percent of every rent dollar that comes in. But if they”re full of folks on fixed incomes, there”s no room for tourists! So let”s make room for tourists! Create the space “… and they will come.”
State and federal taxes are calculated by a certain percentage of the income after costs and expenses are considered. However, transient occupancy (motel) tax is almost 10 percent of the total take-in, without considering if there”s still any profit left.
But that”s not a hardship for the motels! They just pass that on to their vacationing customers. We don”t need to talk about profit margins here.
So back to the dream, there”s some really nice goings-on directly and indirectly encouraged by the redevelopment folks. I see parks and flowers in some of the various places that used to have dilapidated single-wides. Wow, I like it! It can really work if you envision something and work toward the vision. So if we had a magic wand here … no make that three wishes. Bing! What”s the first vision regarding motels that are “violating” the original zoning of catering to vacationers?
Tourists! Stop renting to fixed incomes and get ready for the tourists! Hmmm, where are those tourists? Well, while we have two more wishes … let”s wish that Lake County bursts with tourists needing rooms and while we”re at it, let”s wish the economy turns around so that those tourists have money burning a hole in their pockets, here in Lake County.
Alas, our wand seems to be a bit slow in booting up. Shucks, I don”t see those tourists; where are they already? Now what am I (El Dorado Motel ? 263-1025) supposed to do with my present tenants on fixed or low incomes in the meanwhile? Thirty-day notices?
Veronica Fisher
Lakeport
