Perry County Commission puts hotel tax on April ballot

Trish Erzfeld said a 6 percent hotel tax will boost Perry County tourism by providing a dedicated funding source.

The Perry County Commission has voted to place the tax issue on the April ballot. A simple majority is needed for passage.

Erzfeld serves as director of Perry County Heritage Tourism, an office serving as the convention and visitors bureau for the county.

Erzfeld is the sole employee for the office, which was created in 2015, and operates out of the Perryville, Missouri, Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

So far, it has relied on funding from the City of Perryville and the county government, amounting to $30,000 apiece annually.

“We have taken baby steps ever since creating the department,” she said.

But Erzfeld, who lobbied the commission to put the tax issue on the ballot, said passage of the measure eventually could eliminate the need for the county and city governments to finance the tourism marketing effort.

“It does add up,” she said Friday of the proposed tax, estimating it could generate more than $100,000 annually.

Erzfeld said “every dollar” raised depends upon hotel visitors.

Perry County has four hotels, all in Perryville. Combined, they have fewer than 250 hotel rooms, she said.

“We feel now is the right time to get it passed,” she said.

“This is not a new idea,” she said. Other cities such as Cape Girardeau have had a hotel tax for years that funds tourism efforts.

Perry County Clerk Jared Kutz agreed.

“We are just catching up,” he said.

Kutz said the tax would go a long way toward making the tourism office “a self-sustaining entity.”

Perry County Heritage Tourism has “a very meager marketing budget right now,” Erzfeld said.

“We would love to be able to market ourselves better,” she said.

The added funding would allow the organization to better promote Perry County heritage and cultural attractions through more advertising, she said.

Increased marketing could grow tourism, Erzfeld said.

Kutz and Erzfeld said one advantage of the tax is out-of-town travelers, not Perry County residents, would pay it.

“We vote on that. We don’t pay it,” Kutz said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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