Dunwoody Mayor Denis Shortal has appointed members to two Hotel Motel Tax Advisory Committees that will meet to discuss how to spend new revenue coming into the city after the city raised its hotel/motel taxes this year from 5 to 8 percent.
City Council members Lynn Deutsch, Pam Tallmadge and Jim Riticher are on the City Council committee.
Those on the 14-member public committee are:
Anne Hicks
Tim Brown
Kevin Bahr
Peter Petrecca
Laurel Butler
Johnny Arnold
Lori Cantey
Terri Thompson
Jared Abram
Gail Harmeier
Derrick Polk
Sabrina Rahim
Jennifer O’Pry
Joseph Martinez
The committees are one of the stakeholder groups providing input into the projects that will in the future receive the funds based on direction from City Council, according to city spokesperson Bob Mullen. An open house for proposed plans is set for September and a council vote on an ordinance on how to spend the money is slated for October.
The General Assembly approved Dunwoody’s request to raise the hotel/motel tax that is expected to bring in another $800,000 to the city’s coffers and an additional $800,000 to the Dunwoody Convention and Visitors Bureau.
City staff and Shortal advocated for raising the hotel/motel tax so it could use the money to build and create trails and green space in Perimeter Center, where the majority of the city’s hotels are located. The green space and trails could then be used by tourists and other visitors in the city as well as by residents, they said.
The Dunwoody CVB is required by state law to use the new money to promote tourism in the city.