A citizen complaint filed with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs claims a tax agreement benefiting a luxury hotel atop Lookout Mountain does not comply with state law.
In September, the Walker County Commission approved a hotel-motel tax agreement with the developers of McLemore. For 30 years, the deal sets aside more than half of the taxes collected on stays at the golf resort’s Cloudland Hotel to help pay for a 20,000-square-foot conference center at the facility.
The remainder of that hotel-motel tax revenue goes to marketing the resort and Walker County in cooperation with the Walker Chamber of Commerce.
At a commission meeting in September, supporters of the deal noted that the project is receiving tax revenue that never would have existed if the hotel hadn’t opened, adding that the agreement will also carry residual benefits for the county, producing a return on investment and promoting tourism.
(READ MORE: Hotel at McLemore Resort almost full two months after borrowers sought forbearance)