Staunton City Council makes official the percentage of transient tax to tourism

At its regular meeting Thursday, Staunton City Council approved a resolution to clarify wording of the city’s Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT).

TOT is a tax paid by tourists who visit Staunton and stay overnight, but do not live in the city permanently.

“So, this is a cleanup resolution,” said Staunton Assistant City Manager Amanda Kaufman.

In 2007, city council increased the tax from 4 to 5 percent. At the time, a motion was also adopted to allocate the extra percent to a strategic marketing campaign and dedicate the funding for tourism promotion and marketing in Staunton.

In 2016, the city increased the tax from 5 to 6.7 percent, she said. Discussion then included allocating the extra 1.7 percent to marketing efforts that would increase overnight visitations. At some point since then, the city began contributing 2.7 percent from the TOT to the city’s tourism department.

Thursday night’s meeting included discussion to clarify the allocation to tourism in the city’s 2007 ordinance regarding the TOT. City staff discovered that in 2016, the motion and ordinance codifying the TOT increase did not mention that 1.7 percent would go to tourism.

In 2024, the TOT generated $1.3 million. Staunton‘s tourism budget for 2025 is $665,000 and, according to Kaufman, $502,000 will come from the TOT.

Council member Jeff Overholtzer made the motion to approve the clarification of funds to the tourism department from the TOT, and council member Alice Woods seconded the motion.