Final 2009 Room Tax Returns In

The final room tax returns have been tabulated for 2009, and collections were down .5 percent in comparable municipalities from 2008. The number of room nights filled, however, dropped 3.6 percent, from 362,545 to 349,320.

The City of Sturgeon Bay and the towns of Sturgeon Bay, Union, Brussels, Clay Banks, and Forestville, as well as the Village of Forestville, were not members of the Door County Tourism Zone in 2008 and thus provide no comparable numbers.

The Town of Gibraltar led all municipalities with $460,324 in collections for the year. The City of Sturgeon Bay was next at $431,765, followed by Ephraim at $390,498 and Sister Bay at $384,072.

Both Gibraltar and Ephraim saw their returns increase slightly over 2008, while Sister Bay’s returns dropped by $23,531. Egg Harbor will lose a seat on the Door County Tourism Zone Commission, the intergovernmental body that oversees room tax collections, as the village’s returns dropped below $300,000 for the year. The village collected $288,557 in 2009. Each municipality gets one seat on the commission, but municipalities get two seats if collections exceed $300,000 for the year.

Of the $2,576,639 collected, 30 percent ($772,991) went back to the municipalities in which it was collected to be used however it wants. Four percent goes to the tourism zone for administration of the tax, and the remaining 66 percent went to the Door County Visitor Bureau for promotion of overnight stays.

To view reports, read meeting minutes and find more information about the Door County Tourism Zone and room tax collections visit http://www.doorcountytourismzone.com. The next meeting of the commission is March 18 at the Jacksonport Town Hall at 9 am.