Chautauqua County Legislature meeting (May 24, 2023)

The Chautauqua County Legislature has passed a resolution supporting state bills that alter how the county can spend the bed tax monies it collects.

With the County’s 5% occupancy tax up for renewal by New York State, Assemblyman Andy Goodell and State Senator George Borrello have sponsored legislation that requires half of the 2% allocated for lake management and enhancement funds be used for “activities that control, treat, and/or remove invasive or nuisance submerged aquatic vegetation, reduce harmful algae blooms, or provide shoreline cleanup.”

There are no changes in the 3% allocated toward tourism efforts.

Legislator Susan Parker motioned to amend the resolution, saying she supports the extension of the occupancy tax, “And I support removing the strict expenditure requirements proposed by Assemblyman Goodell and Senator Borrello. This amendment will allow the county legislature to elect to allocate occupancy tax monies at its discretion as I think it should at that level without the dictate of New York State.”

Legislator Elisabeth Rankin countered that the state has always had a say in how the money is spent, “This is not unusual for them to do that and the state absolutely has the right to suggest how this money is spent. It’s without them and without their support, we would not have the occupancy tax. It’s just like the fact that if we wanted to increase the sales tax by 1%, we have to have the state’s support.”

Legislator Terry Neibel said he would be voting no against the amendment due to state representatives indicating there isn’t time to make changes to the resolution.
The amendment failed 3 to 14 with just Legislators Bob Bankoski, Tom Nelson, and Susan Parker voting yes. Legislators then unanimously passed the resolution.

County Executive PJ Wendel said the change in allocation should not affect the Watershed Coordinator position, “We’ve already made changes and corrections. You might see some increases in departmental budgets now. We’re looking for the best places to put some salary for Dave McCoy. He’s not living lavishly, but it’s where do we find that salary and do we take it from two different departments, do we put it in one.”

The extension of the 5% occupancy tax goes through the end of 2025.

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel at Boat User Fee meeting (April 12, 2023)

Chautauqua County will move forward with studying a potential boat fee for users of Chautauqua Lake.

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel hosted a public forum that was attended by about two dozen people Wednesday to see if there was a willingness to look at implementing the fee, “We saw a show of hands. The majority of people want to continue. So, we’ll go back. We’ll talk to Planning and Economic Development and start to implement what we’re going to do. Barton & LoGuidice were here. They’ll review what we do going forward and what the scope of work will be.”

Wendel said he expects some pushback but is optimistic about the process.

He said a boat fee would be used to help fund lake maintenance efforts that are currently being done as well to help fund the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance, who uses a metric system to distribute funds for lake efforts. Wendel said this would help reduce the amount local foundations have to support lake efforts.

For 2023, total funding requests for lakes and waterways is $2,953,296 with only $234,000 available funding from the 2% occupancy tax that goes toward protection of lakes and streams. The other 3% of the occupancy tax is designated toward promotion of tourism.

Wendel said a committee to study the boat fee could include members from fishing associations, boat clubs, elected officials, and travel and tourism, “What we’d be looking at is an annual fee. What that fee is is yet to be determined. But you purchase a sticker. The hopes are.. could we work with marinas could we work with other agencies that put the boats in and out, or working with local establishments. Again, we have a couple places that sell fish licenses every weekend. So, working with our businesses around Chautauqua Lake to provide those stickers for people, if they’re coming in for a day, for a week, and understand what that fee would be.”

Wendel said the county still needs to determine how the committee is implemented in terms of whether it needs legislative approval to appoint members or not.

Should a recommendation to create a boat user fee be approved by the Chautauqua County Legislature, it would still require Home Rule approval from New York State in order to be implemented.

State Assemblyman Andy Goodell, who was present at the meeting, said given the legislative calendar, if this moves forward this is something that likely wouldn’t be acted on by the state until 2024 for implementation in 2025.

View slideshow from the Boat User Fee Meeting.

Tune to Community Matters tonight at 5:00 p.m. to hear the Boat User Fee Informational Meeting.

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel discusses points in his State of the County address, occupancy taxes, the state budget, and more.

PJ Wendel

Irwin Bay Cottages owner Julie Holland addresses Chautauqua County Legislature (March 22, 2023)

The Chautauqua County Legislature has rejected a proposal to increase the occupancy tax rate.

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel had proposed, as part of the occupancy tax renewal with New York State, to raise the current rate from 5% to 8%.

His proposal included dedicating the additional 3% in tax income toward funding waterways in the county. Currently, of the 5% collected, 60% is used to promote tourism with 40% going toward enhancing waterways.

A handful of lodging-related business owners spoke out against increasing the tax, including Maple Springs Lakeside Inn owner Rosary Stage who said she owns lakefront property and is just as concerned about Chautauqua Lake as anyone, “But I think at same, increasing the occupancy tax is not the solution to our problems. We have millions of unspent COVID money. Please use that. Our guests do know when our taxes increase. When they examine their bill at the end of their stay we get constant feedback about the amount of tax that has to be paid. When they compare the total bill to other vacation areas, we will become more uncompetitive and crossed off of future vacation lists.”

Irwin Bay Cottages owner Julie Holland questioned how the additional funds would be used, “Will they be used for yet another study, growing administrative costs that are going to entities already supported with county funds, or will they be used for definitive actions that will enhance our lakes and waterways? Funding for lakes and waterways is a broad term.”

A motion by Legislator Bob Scudder amending the resolution to remove the 3% increase to the rate was approved unanimously by the 14 legislators present.

Legislator Susan Parker said facts were lacking in the proposal received nine days prior to the meeting about the need for the increase, “Which would give Chautauqua County the highest occupancy tax in New York State. A study of the benefits versus the cost was not included, nor was a public discussion of the inclusion of stakeholders in consideration of this increase, nor any plans for use of the funds. A lot of questions remain.”

The amended resolution requesting a renewal of the 5% occupancy tax also passed unanimously.

County Executive Wendel said he wasn’t aware any legislators had issue with the resolution until just before the meeting, “I just wished somebody would have reached out.. I did hear from residents, who were here, this week, here tonight, and spoke tonight, and they called me. I said in my speech, I have an open door. People can feel free to call me, email me. Mr. Patel (hotel owner) has on several occasions. We’ve talked. I haven’t heard anything from anybody on whether this was supported or not supported.”

Wendel said while the current 5% rate doesn’t expire until November, the Legislature needed to submit a renewal request before the end of the state legislative session in June. He said if the proposal had been adopted, the new rate wouldn’t have gone into effect until January 1, 2024.

Wendel added that he will be “going back to the drawing board” in terms of looking at ways to fund Chautauqua Lake and county waterway needs.

Wendel will highlight successes of 2022 while sharing goals for 2023 in a presentation during the regular meeting of the County Legislature, which starts at 6:30 p.m.

The Legislature’s monthly meeting also will include voting on a request to New York State to renew the county’s occupancy tax. The resolution also requests increasing that tax from 5% to 8%.

Both the County Legislature and the New York State Legislature must give approval in order for an increase to go into effect.

According to a report by the Jamestown Post-Journal, County Executive Wendel wants the additional 3% increase to go toward funding efforts around the county’s lakes and tributary streams. Currently, of the 5% collected, 60% is used to promote tourism with 40% going toward enhancing waterways.

The Legislature also will vote on whether to establish a County Salary Commission. If approved, a commission of seven citizens would be convened to recommend salary adjustments for county elected officials.

The Legislature’s meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Legislative Chambers of the Gerace Office Building in Mayville. It is open to the public and will be live streamed on the Chautauqua County Government YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/@ChautauquaCounty/streams.

Ellery Town Supervisor Larry Anderson addresses Chautauqua County Legislature (February 22, 2023)

The Town of Ellery has asked the Chautauqua County Legislature to support and help implement a six-point plan for improvement of Chautauqua Lake.

Legislator Lisa Vanstrom requested that Legislative Clerk Olivia Lee read the letter outlining the proposal from Ellery Town Supervisor Larry Anderson out loud for all members present to hear.

The plan for future lake improvement includes lakeside municipalities, the county, and state leaders reaching an agreement on the goal for Chautauqua Lake management. It also calls for contracting with a university-led group of scientists, engineers, and project managers to develop a multi-year management plan. The third point requests that $7 million in the County’s American Rescue Plan funds be designated toward the development and implementation of the plan. The fourth point seeks to revisit a county-wide funding mechanism for Chautauqua Lake protection and rehabilitation including use of existing property, sales, and occupancy tax revenue with the potential for increases in those tax rates.

The proposal would use an organization of lakeside municipality mayors and supervisors with support from county government to oversee the development and implementation of the plan and manage lake and watershed activities consistent with the goal set. This organization would be unaffiliated with lake organizations.

The last point in the proposal asks State Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell to work to obtain state funding for the lake and to work with the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Larry Anderson, speaking at the second privilege of the floor, thanked the legislature for reading the letter and said it took 50 to 60 years for Chautauqua Lake to “get this bad,” “And it’s not going to get fixed overnight. It’s going to take some time. But I really feel that our six-point plan is the way to start and if we can get enough support and everybody comes together with the townships, the villages along the lake, that I think we can finally go in the right direction.”

The Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency, which was formed in 2018 to study the creation of a lake protection and rehabilitation district, voted in January to not move forward with a tax district.

Bemus Point Mayor Jeff Molnar also addressed the Legislature and said after attending various CLPRA and lake organization meetings, it was clear that “not everyone was rowing in the right direction,” “I’ve learned about the proposal that the town of Ellery has put forward. And unless I get any negative feedback from my Board of Trustees in the village, then I intend to support, at least, the portion about the mayors and supervisors organization.”

Mayville Mayor Rick Syper also made a short statement saying he supports Ellery’s plan.

County Executive PJ Wendel said the lakeside municipality leaders group proposed by Ellery to oversee the effort would be a new group.

He said while 3 of the 9 leaders are in agreement, it’s been tough to get consensus, “I don’t think they’re too far off but everybody has their different opinions and philosophies. And we’ve said this, we’re not going to get a unanimous consensus, but we do have to look at what’s happening. My push for this year is a collaborative effort. We have yet to do that in Chautauqua Lake. We harvest and we use herbicides. But I have a big push with our working group, if you will, between the Watershed (Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy) , CLA (Chautauqua Lake Association), and CLP (Chautauqua Lake Partnership) to have a collaborative plan this year to start.”

Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon gave credit to Ellery for developing the plan. He said there’s significant overlap between what the town and County Executive Wendel are working on, “I know that the County Executive has met with the town of Ellery representatives to discuss his directions and their plan. Personally, I think that it’s exciting, the concept of getting all of the towns and villages around the lake agreeing on what should be done and working together to help the lake.”

Chagnon said he’s looking forward to learning more about Wendel’s plan in the near future.

Interested groups or organizations have until October 1, 2022 to submit applications.
The application link can be found at: https://bit.ly/CHQTourismGrants2023. Hard copies of the application are also available at the offices of the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development located at 201 West Third Street, Suite 115, in Jamestown, N.Y., during normal business hours.

The Tourism Product Development Grant Program is funded through the County’s 5% occupancy or “bed tax” for the rental of lodging units within the County. Three-fifths (3%) of the revenue that is generated from this tax is used to increase tourism, conventions, trade shows, special events, and other directly related or supporting activities including businesses in the county. The two-fifths (2%) occupancy tax is utilized solely for the enhancement and protection of lakes and streams in Chautauqua County. A portion of the 3% occupancy tax is intended to provide grants for projects that will achieve and/or support special tourism product and event development initiatives.

After tourism declined in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions, the 2021 occupancy tax revenues exceeded expectations by nearly 40% with revenues exceeding budget by more than $500,000. Revenues exceeded 2019 levels, before the pandemic, by 5.4%.

According to recent travel industry studies, in addition to eco-tourism, wellness activities or wellness-centric travel was a priority. Wellness can be immersive cultural experiences, mental, physical, or spiritual growth such as lifelong learning opportunities, reunions of families and friends, and food and beverage experiences.

Those applying for funding should have programs and initiatives that help create destination awareness of Chautauqua County as a place to visit and/or improve the likelihood of repeat visits to the area. A key concern for the future of Chautauqua County’s tourism industry is to create and promote products and experiences that will attract more visitors, particularly for overnight visits and in the pre- and post-summer seasons.

Grant funds are not intended for facility maintenance or long-term operational costs.

Applications for the 3% Tourism Product Development Grant Program may be submitted by various groups and organizations, including: not-for-profits, governments, businesses/corporations, public or private schools, and all landowners of Chautauqua County.

For more information, please contact Nate Aldrich at (716) 363-3672 or aldrichn@chqgov.com.

Pictured, a rendition of the proposed Hideaway Bay Resort, a glamping attraction with waterfront bar/restaurant and event space. The Resort construction is set to get underway in 2022 by Adventure Sports Development & Tundo Construction.

Bed tax revenues reached record numbers for 2021 in Chautauqua County as tourism rebounded in the area.

County Executive PJ Wendel announced that after tourism declined in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions, the 2021 occupancy tax revenues exceeded expectations by nearly 40% with revenues exceeding budget by more than $500,000. Revenues exceeded 2019 levels, before the pandemic, by 5.4%.

Wendel said when compared to New York State as a whole, in 2021, international visitation to the state was down 86% and domestic visitation dropped by 37% as compared to 2019.

He said a 2020 agreement with Airbnb to facilitate their direct collection of occupancy tax payments from each short-term rental venue helped with overall enforcement efforts.

According to county occupancy tax data and the 2021 Smith Travel Research (STR) report for Chautauqua County, hotel occupancy still lagged behind pre-pandemic levels, indicating growth in other accommodation segments such as cottages and short-term Airbnb and VRBO rentals.

Three-fifths, or 3%, of the revenue that is generated from the County’s occupancy or “bed tax” is used to increase tourism, conventions, trade shows, special events, and other directly related or supporting activities. Two-fifths, or 2%, of the occupancy tax is utilized solely for the enhancement and protection of lakes and streams in Chautauqua County.

Lawmakers will meet Wednesday night to discuss and act on the 2016 budget, which includes total spending of $256 million and a tentative property tax rate decrease of 4.6 percent. However, that tax cut could be even greater, with the legislature’s Audit and Control committee making several recommended amendments that will be put forward and acted on this evening. If all the changes are approved, residents could see the tax rate decrease by as much as 6 percent.

A key reason for the drop in the tax rate is a .5 percent increase in county sales tax rate, bringing the new total sales tax rate to 8 percent. With the sales tax hike, the overall sales tax revenue in the 2016 budget is projected to by $37.15 million dollars, an increase of $8.7 million compared to 2015.

Wednesday’s discussion and vote on the budget begins at 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

AFTERNOON MEETING WILL DEAL WITH REGULAR AGENDA

County lawmakers will also meet Wednesday at 2 p.m. to act on other county business.

• VIEW OCT LEGISLATURE MEETING AGENDA

Among the items to be discussed and voted on is the allocation of occupancy tax funding for 2016.

Nine waterway projects have been recommended to receive a portion of the funds as part of an ongoing effort to preserve lakes and streams.

Last week the legislature’s Planning and Economic Development Committee approved a recommendation from the county waterways panel to allocate nearly $200,000 toward the nine projects. Overall, 19 applications were submitted.

The two largest projects set to recive funding are the Chadakoin Riverwalk project came, put forth by the city of Jamestown and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute – requesting nearly $40,000.

And Walnut Creek Streambank Stabilization in the village of Silver Creek, $40,000.

A complete agenda for Wednesday’s meeting, which again begins at 2 p.m., with the discussion and budget vote happening at 6:30 p.m. – can be found at the county’s website.

Tonight’s meeting has a fairly light agenda. Highlighting the voting tonight will be the legislature acting on allocating funding from the county’s 2015 bed tax proceeds for three off-cycle projects.

Those projects include the Lucy Town Half Marathon and 5K in Jamestown, which will receive $8,060. The Chautauqua Gran Fondo Cycling Tour, which will receive $6,680. And the Chadwick Bay Bike Run in Dunkrik, which is set to receive $3,600.

A complete agenda for tonight’s voting session can be found at the legislature’s website. Tonight’s meeting begins at 6:30 and is open to the public.