ArchivesAm I stupid to think that the city “bed tax” collected from hotels should be a levy to support tourism promotion? Shouldn’t we earmark at least some of that $288,000 toward attracting seminars and conventions, printing maps and brochures of Nogales, and funding visitors’ centers?
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Ask anyone at city hall why the funds collected by the hotels are not used for tourism promotion and you won’t get a straight answer. The closest you’ll get is that when the tax was first proposed, it was not intended for that purpose.
Some claim it was enacted to fund salaries for public-safety personnel.
If that was the case, they should have raised court fees and traffic fines, ambulance charges and so on. Why put it on the back of the lodging sector?
I’ll go out on a limb and try to answer that last one. The bed tax was low-hanging fruit for politicians. They implemented it with minimal political backlash because it doesn’t usually affect anyone but out-of-town guests staying at hotels. It was easier than raising rates, or collecting the thousands of dollars in bad debt that is on the city books.
The trees are overgrown at city hall and all vision has been blocked for too long. The occupants of this municipal palace have no sense that by using bed-tax revenues to promote our community we can create new opportunities for economic development, which in turn puts more money by way of business licenses and sales taxes and even bed taxes back into city coffers.
Alas, the opportunity to do so has once again come and gone. The 2009-10 budget has been set and revenues from the bed tax have been committed to other government operations.
(Write us at 268 W. View Point Dr., Nogales, Ariz., 85621 or manuel.coppola@nogalesinternational.com.)
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Mack wrote on Aug 24, 2009 9:43 AM:
It has to be someone who will be able to get another job at 130K if he gets fired and who, unlike Jaime Fontes, will have the nerve to be an administrator and not a politician vying for his job all of the time.
I am not an academic person, so I don't know anyone. But I do know that nepotism and inexperience have real consequences. I liked it when Sue Neilsen was city manager. She dared to bring in people from the outside. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not. But putting people in director positions simply because they are friends is really disturbing. I am sick and tired of paying the wages of these directors who don't have anything more than a high school degree and are getting paid 80K when the rest of us are really struggling. The secretary at the fire department has more experience and education than the fire chief! Who knows about the police department.
And I liked Barraza too and I was very upset when he died, but he screwed up when he started scaring the employees and he really screwed up when he made the underhanded move of putting in Kissinger without a city manager. Kissinger has no business being anything but a police officer until he goes to school and earns a degree. Not because of the academics, but because that is what grown ups are expected to do.
The only name that comes to mind honestly is Marcel Bachelier. I have had to deal with him a lot, and he is very intelligent and very hard working. He also seems to be one of the only directors who is able to be reached on a daily basis.
A lot of money is being thrown away out there Manuel. People need to earn their salaries or get out.
Keep me in mind if they start a search committee... "
manuel wrote on Aug 23, 2009 4:47 PM:
I subsequently supported them because they were against the ridiculous Citizens For Better Nogales Government, who were really citizens out to get their piece of the pie. (By the way, watch for double decker out-houses on Western Avenue. Word is this wild bunch may be on the prowl again. Sources say there was a meeting among Varona, "Mayor" Spook and Galen last week.)
The bed tax issue has nothing to do with these guys. Since its inception, it was earmarked for everything except tourism.
You gotta love Louie's enthusiasm and learned speech. You know the "spare" councilman will not be favored around city hall if he gets in. And if our Mayor GVB goes onto other political hunting grounds or if Mr. Felix is indicted, he just might get in.
In my opinion, he's still wet behind the ears. Let's get someone with real experience. Anyone know what Mike Hein is up to these days?
Economic development in the city? That is a contradiction in terms. I'll leave it at that.
Tell you what, Mack; Let's you and I come up with a viable slate of candidates we can really get behind in the next election. Union fundamentalists and self-serving bullies need not apply. "
Mack wrote on Aug 23, 2009 2:29 PM:
You were against the recall a few years ago with every bone in your body.
What have they done? NOT build the hospital, NOT provide public transport, NOT let people apply for grants, NOT fund tourism projects, NOT keep the good employees.
They have disbanded the CED department, they have cut spending and they have enraged the public.
Why don't you pull out the old pieces about how wonderful these councilmembers were to remind you of why you liked them.
The only thing I can agree with you is that Jaime Fontes is about the worst thing to happen to the city. But what can we expect when he is gone? Louie Valdez? OMG, now that would be tragic.
Careful who you tell us is the best candidate. You raved about Oct. Garcia VB at one point. Didn't you?
I understand if you don't post this, just wanted to let you know. "
Luis Villa wrote on Aug 22, 2009 7:07 PM:
Governments at all levels are illogical entities! It just makes too much sense to apply the “tourism” tax to promote tourism.
Using the “bed tax” to fund promoting Nogales makes TOO much sense, which is exactly why it is not used that way.
After all doesn’t it make more sense to fund junkets, and pay for the SUV (that belongs to US) Pay for maintenance and car washes for the ever-expanding city fleet. By seeing a clean city car the tourists will flock to our city and just maybe there is a great need for toilet paper in City Hall. "