The "transient room tax" collection numbers have been published for the first half of the 08/09 tax calendar. This is the tax that the guest pays (7% to Deschutes County) on top of the nightly rent. No big surprise that the numbers are down from 07/08, although I thought you might be interested in some of the details.
As you can see from the monthly variance, December 2008 was hit the hardest with a -18.58% change over December 2007. The number I find the most encouraging though, is that the first half of 08/09, although down, is up 3.17% over 06/07.
Why do you ask is this encouraging? The 07/08 tax year was an extraordinary year with a 7.09% increase over the previous year. If we had seen a more modest increase in 07/08, then the current taxes would be about equal to the 07/08 year. So far, these numbers seem to show that tourism is staying relatively steady in Sunriver (the major contributor to Deschutes County taxes). I find this encouraging because at least the numbers are not falling as drastically as they feel.
The reason things feel worse then they are is because with the extraordinary growth in tourism that we have seen in Central Oregon over the last few years, we have also seen an extraordinary growth in available lodging throughout the region (Caldera Springs, more homes in Sunriver, multiple resorts throughout the County, etc.). In a flat period like we are in, this growth is diluting the available revenue to businesses and homeowners putting a strain on everybody.
The last number I found to be very interesting is that the City of Sisters is UP 29.87%. Very good news for the businesses in Sisters. My guess is this increase in tax revenue is due to the number of hotels that have sprung up over the last couple of years within the city limits (Black Butte Ranch's tax dollars are a part of Deschutes County tax revenue - not Sisters).
Deschutes County Tax Collection
Monthly Variance between 07/08 and 08/09
July 4.72%
Aug -7.67%
Sept -9.49%
Oct 6.26%
Nov 8.40%
Dec -18.58%
Deschutes County (does not include the cities)
06/07 YTD taxes collected = $2,180,851
07/08 YTD taxes collected = $2,335,564
08/09 YTD taxes collected = $2,250,000 (down -3.66% from 2007)
Deschutes County is down -3.66%
City of Bend is down -11.03%
City of Redmond is down - 13.78%
City of Sisters is UP 29.87% (holy cow, what's going on in Sisters?)
City of Prineville is down -11.33%
