By Mark Reaman
Lodging taxes declined…
The town’s vacation rental excise tax is down about 12% since 2022 and lodging sales tax is down about 10%. In a report to the council it was explained that the reason is probably because of “improved reporting by vendors.” The speculation is that in the past few years it seemed that Crested Butte was capturing vacation rental tax revenue from a number of homes located outside of town and staff is hearing that is being sorted out. At the same time, the report said that Mt. CB’s preliminary totals show an increase in year-over-year revenue each month in 2023 while CB is showing a decline. “This will be an important consideration as we consider issuing debt secured, in part, by vacation rental excise tax.”
Utility extension analysis for CB Fire Protection District
The Crested Butte Public Works department will be analyzing the engineering feasibility of a wastewater extension for the Crested Butte Fire Protection District for their proposed safety campus located just north of the town boundary along Gothic Road. Town is also executing a cost reimbursement agreement with the CBFPD. It is expected to have a final analysis for this stage of the process by the second half of March.