February 18, 2019 at 4:34 p.m.
Lake Tomahawk board repeals room tax ordinance
Lake Tomahawk board repeals room tax ordinance
By Kayla Houp-
The decision to repeal the ordinance follows the board's decision in October to exit the Minocqua Chamber of Commerce, of which the town had been a member of since 2013 when its membership was finalized.
"We did have an ordinance in effect because we were collecting room tax on behalf of the Minocqua Chamber," town chairman George DeMet said. "So, I wrote up an ordinance, and I'll read it off."
DeMet read the ordinance, stating the purpose was the town had found the need to "update certain regulations governing the collection of a Room Tax within the Township."
"Repeal: Now it be ordained and enacted by the Town Board of the Town of Lake Tomahawk that Article II of Chapter 42 of the Town of Lake Tomahawk Code (adopted on Aug. 8, 2012) is hereby repealed in its entirety," the ordinance reads.
DeMet said if they decided in the future they wanted to collect a room tax on their own, they would have to adopt a new ordinance.
"This was just to get ourselves out of the ordinance that we had to send it to Minocqua," DeMet said.
DeMet called for a motion to repeal.
Supervisor Larry Hoffman raised the motion with a second by supervisor Stephanie Sowatzka. The motion passed unanimously.
Despite the board severing its ties with the Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce, questions arose about whether or not the severance is effective immediately, or there's an agreement outlining the duration in which the town must collect and report room tax to the Chamber.
According to Minocqua Chamber of Commerce executive director Krystal Westfahl, the Lake Tomahawk Town Board had sent a letter to their lodging partners dated Jan. 14, which stated the town was through collecting room tax as of Jan. 1.
"And so there was one lodging partner that was open during that time that will have to submit the collections that they did during that time frame between Jan. 1 and Jan. 14," Westfahl said. "And essentially then they're done."
At the meeting Feb. 13, DeMet said the board had sent their last check in to the Room Tax Commission.
"All (the check) of $70.59," DeMet said. "So, with the enactment of the repeal of the ordinance, we will have severed our ties and the collection of the room tax."
Kayla Houp may be reached via email at [email protected].
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