Door County News: August Room Tax Collections

For the first time since room tax collections began in May of 2007, the monthly percentage of available room nights filled exceeded 70 percent in August, when 70.82 percent of 107,060 rooms were rented for the month. Total collections hit $616,468 for the month, with $406,869 going to the Door County Visitor Bureau for promotion of overnight stays and 184,940 getting kicked back to municipalities within the zone for spending as they determine.

The average daily room rate for the month was $149, the highest recorded since the implementation of the tax, and two dollars above the level of the same month in 2007.

Total collections were down slightly for the month, but could show a slight increase over 2007 when late collections are added in and totals adjusted later in the year.

With the towns of Brussels, Union, and Sturgeon Bay all recently deciding to join the zone, only the City of Sturgeon Bay, the towns of Clay Banks and Forestville, and the Village of Forestville, are not yet members. The city has announced their intention to join but continues to work out the details.

• Unadjusted August Room Tax Collections

The August 2008 numbers do not include late collections, which have increased returns significantly in May, June, and July of this year. Numbers from August of 2007 are in parentheses. Numbers for 2008 include returns from Gardner, which was not a member of the zone during the same month in 2007. Gardner collected $1,425 in room tax in August of 2008.

Total Room Tax Collected: $616,468 ($604,999)

Municipality Share: $184,940 ($181,500)

Door County Visitor Bureau Share: $406,869 ($399,299)

Average Daily Rate: $149 ($147)

Occupancy Rate: 70.82% (67.41%)