Measure F Hotel and Lodging Tax (Transient Occupancy Tax aka TOT)

Measure F on the Nov 2024 ballot was approved from the voters to adjust the hotel and lodging tax (often referred to as TOT).

City of Auburn Hotel and Lodging (TOT) 

The hotel and lodging tax is paid by lodgers at hotels and short-term rentals to help cover the costs of City services like emergency response, road maintenance, and park upkeep. 

The hotel and lodging tax sat at 8% since 1991. This measure increased the TOT to 10%.

The hotel and lodging tax currently only applies to lodgers at hotels and bed and breakfasts. Lodgers at the 75 registered short term-rentals in Auburn (i.e., AirBnB, VBRO) have not been paying this tax.  

Measure F adusts the current hotel and lodging tax from 8% to 10%, which is about $3 on a $150 room. 

• Measure F could increase the annual hotel and lodging tax to $162,000
• About $80,000 of that increase will come from the short-term rentals
• 100% of these revenues will stay in the City of Auburn to pay for services visitors use including police, fire, street maintenance, pothole repairs, and parks.

An informational handout is provided here

Question before the voters

The following question appeared on the November 2024 ballot:

Shall the measure funding police, fire, street maintenance, pothole repairs, parks, and for general government use for maintaining other city services by increasing the city’s transient occupancy tax (paid only by hotel and lodging guests) on hotel rent by 2 percent matching nearby city rates, and by extending it to short-term rentals, to last until voters end it, raising approximately $162,000 in additional revenue per year that cannot be taken by the State, be adopted?