BYRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A hotel tax is on the ballot in Byron Township this election.
If passed, the funds raised by tax would support the Byron Township Community Center, which serves residents and non-residents through programming, fitness classes, facility rentals, free internet access and more.
The tax would add a 2% charge to the cost of staying at any of the township's six hotels/motels and would not apply to Airbnbs or other short-term rentals.
"We'll put it on the ballot and see where it goes," Byron Township Clerk Peggy Sattler said to FOX 17 on Monday.
Sattler says the tax could "conservatively" raise around $200,000 annually.
"We'll be the first ones in the state of Michigan — besides Kent County — we'll be the first municipality to actually put this on a proposal," said Sattler, referencing a 2024 state law that allows cities and townships in Kent County to collect a hotel-related excise tax.
During last year's election cycle, voters in Kent County also decided to raise the county's hotel tax from 5% to 8%, a provision similarly made possible through the 2024 law.
"So, I'm hoping other municipalities will see this in Kent County and decide that having a community center is a big benefit to the community and potentially put that proposal on their ballots as well," Sattler said.
America Votes
ELECTION RESULTS: Increased hotel tax approved by Kent County voters
Byron Township has historically dipped into its general fund to pay for maintenance and repairs at its community center, whose office and storage spaces are in need of a "simple expansion." An additional revenue source in the form of an excise tax would free up general fund dollars for public safety and infrastructure.
Sattler says the township has not passed a millage increase since 1956.
Election day is Tuesday, November 4.
If passed, the hotel tax would go into effect on January 1.
