Edhat StaffSource: City of Santa Barbara
The City of Santa Barbara collected $3,079,876 in transient occupancy taxes (TOT) for July 2021. TOT revenues in July 2021 were $1.9 million above July collections last year—which was significantly impacted by COVID-19 restrictions and travel advisories. Compared to July 2019, July 2021 revenues were higher by 29%; however, this is largely due to increased average daily rates, which are 35% higher than July 2019, with occupancy nearly even.
The local travel industry is now seeing increases in demand for rooms relative to recent months that is likely to continue throughout the summer months as the State has lifted travel advisories and as access to vaccinations has become more widely available.
July is the first month in the City’s fiscal year. The City’s adopted TOT budget is $19.5 million.
The Transient Occupancy Tax table can be viewed here.
Better than the Thomas fire and flood season, better than the massive lockdown season, but how close to what is needed to support the budgeted city revenue demands? Tourism over the past several years has taken serious hits. Has the expense side of the city budget taken similar hits?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if tourism did take a serious hit! Les COVID, less exploitative restaurants, fewer wine “tasting rooms,” fewer people dressed badly and blocking sidewalks taking pictures of unimportant places, less traffic at the airport disturbing locals in their homes, more politicians paying attention to SB resident concerns (not the bar zone), etc ad naseum.
6:11 – “Wonderful” one can always dream! Then I woke up to this Nightmare I’m in now?
Byz, have you ever heard of the economic theory that says that government should not contract spending much if at all during a downturn? That way the recession is not made worse by everyone pulling back spending.
But of course, if the City has no reserves then they have to reduce spending, because Cities and States are required to run balanced budgets, unlike the Feds.