Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp told county commissioners during his budget presentation this week that he wants their support for a multiyear plan to step down funding for the area’s leading tourism promoter.
The Chattanooga Tourism Co., formerly the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, had long received 100% of the hotel-motel tax received by the county because of a former deal between the city and county, but that has changed in recent years.
In last year’s budget, Chattanooga Tourism Co. received $10.3 million from the county. This year, the mayor’s proposed budget cuts that to $9.3 million. Commissioners received Wamp’s budget Friday and have several weeks to deliberate before casting a final vote.
Wamp said the county needs to keep more of those lodging tax dollars because future debt payments due on the Chattanooga Lookouts stadium underway on Chattanooga’s Southside could strain county finances in the years to come.
The county’s budget has already been tightened by lagging growth and the commission’s approval of the largest bond in county history.