AN ORDINANCE relating to the Seattle Tourism Improvement Area; modifying the assessment rate; and amending Ordinance 123714.
Madam, click, will you please read item two and to the record. You're part of the Economic Development, Technology and City Committee agenda item two Council Bill one 2273 related to the Seattle Tourism Improvement Area, modifying the assessment rate and amending ordinance 123 714. The committee recommends that the bill pass. Thank you, Councilman Nelson. It's all you. Thank you very much, President. So just a brief background for folks that haven't been following this this bill effectuate so rate change from $2 a night to $4 a night for the Seattle Tourism Improvement Area. And the improvement area was formed in in 2011 to promote leisure tourism to Seattle. The rate has has remained the same for the past several years while since the very beginning. And this bill was heard first in the committee on March 9th. We discussed the bill further and had a public hearing and voted it out unanimously last week on March 23rd. So I just want to give a little bit of background and just say that, you know, everybody knows that the pandemic has hit Seattle hard, but it has particularly hurt the tourism industry. This bill doesn't just benefit the hotels. This bill will benefit all of the businesses downtown and across the city that benefit from tourism in Seattle. The Seattle tourism improvement area is in the downtown core and the waterfront. It comprises about 60 hotels. But visit Seattle, which manages the revenue generated by this fee, promotes all of Seattle. So I'm just going to cut to the chase and say that that passage of this bill is crucial to our economic recovery and to an equitable economic recovery. Because Visit Seattle takes this money and promotes every district of the city. That means that all of the retail shops and bars and restaurants, museums, entertainment venues, etc., in every neighborhood end up benefiting from this promotion. And that's why I say that it's important to our economic recovery. And as well, the taxes generated from those enterprises end up going into our general fund and funding these services that we depend on. So not all cities have there have their fee structures in the same way. Ours is a flat fee and we're in competition with cities across the country. And our our neighbor Portland has a 2% fee on an occupancy in their in their hotels. That means when a guest goes there, 2% of their bill goes to this, their tourism improvement and promotion area. Ours is a flat fee. It doesn't go up as room rates increase. And so that is why it is so crucial that we that we pass this and bring back some more life downtown and generate business and in support of our businesses across the city. So this has been a long time in the making. I am proud to be sitting in this position right now to see this effort come to fruition, especially as the visit Seattle's director Tom Norwalk is retiring. And I just want to say thank you so much, Tom, for your service, for everything that you've done, not just for downtown, but for Seattle. So I, I will ask my colleagues to please pass this bill. Kessler. Nelson, do any of my colleagues have any questions or comments for Councilmember Nelson? Not seeing or hearing none. Well, the clerk, please call the roll on the passage of the bill. Some members. Strauss. Yes, Councilmember Herbold. Councilmember Morales. This Council member must gather by Council member Nelson. I. Council member Peter son in Council President Juarez High seven favorite and opposed. Thank you. The bill passes and the chair will sign it. And Madam Clerk, can you please affix my signature to the legislation? Great. Thank you, Councilor Nelson. Let's move on to item number three from Land Use Committee. Madam Clerk, will you please read the short title and then we'll hand it over to Councilmember Strauss.