The Fayetteville City Council

is considering a 2-percent increase in the motel tax to further fund tourism

in the city.

The proposed increase, from

3 percent to 5 percent, would make the tax equal to that of Peachtree

City, and still be one of the lowest in the metro Atlanta area, according

to council discussions at Wednesday night's work session.

An ordinance has been drafted

to make the change official, and a first reading is scheduled for Thursday

night's regular council meeting. The ordinance states that the tax "will

be used for the purpose of promoting tourism, conventions and trade shows

in the Main Street District," and that "the amount expended

shall be only through a contract with a state agency or authority, or

a private sector nonprofit organization."

In this case, that organization

would likely be Fayetteville's Main Street program. One of the projects

that could benefit from the revenue increase would be a proposed city

amphitheater, which has been suggested for the Village multi-use development

now in the early stages of construction on the west side of town. An overview

of the amphitheater proposal is to be discussed at Thursday's meeting.

There is currently just one

motel in the city the Holiday Inn Express on East Lanier Avenue, across

from the old county courthouse. The developers of the Village have designated

a spot for a possible hotel, but there have been no specifics beyond that,

according to City Manager Joe Morton.

In noting that Fayetteville's

motel tax would still be relatively low even after the proposed increase,

Mayor Kenneth Steele remarked that on his trip to Charleston, S.C., last

weekend, he checked his bill and noticed that the room tax there was 13

percent.

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