The current law only applies to six or more rental units. This has been eliminated so that the proposed law even applies to a unit when someone rents a house, cabin, apartment, etc., Earl said.

“This does not apply unless a unit is rented for more than 14 days in a calendar year,” he said.

President Rochelle Stein said temporary accommodation options were being added, such as Airbnb and private homes rented on a temporary basis.

“Accommodation opportunities such as locations rented for more than 14 days; examples – houses, cabins and cabins in campgrounds. Airbnb actually approached the county to institute the resort tax, ”she said.

The definition of “hotel or motel” has been amended to include the following: condominium, tourist facilities, facilities designated or commonly referred to as “bed and breakfast”, private houses or other accommodation rented through reservation companies.

Stein said the 3% per night city tax would not change from the current law.

“The tourist tax is only used for the purposes of advertising and promoting tourism in Genesee County,” she said.

The public hearing, if set for Wednesday, would take place at the Legislative Assembly meeting at 5:30 p.m. on November 22.

“All county meetings are hosted on Zoom, noted on the agenda,” she said. Stein said Legislative Clerk Lisa Casey will collect public communications on the matter which will be emailed to her at [email protected]

“Voters are also invited to address their county legislator. If someone is unable to personally attend a public hearing for a local law proposal, it is always possible to send a letter, email or facsimile transmission to the clerk in advance. the Legislative Assembly, ”said Stein.

Genesee County Chamber of Commerce President Erik Fix.

Erik Fix, president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber’s position has always been that hotels and places that currently charge tourist tax are at a disadvantage compared to those that do not. .

“I know that when we talk about it and when we talk about it, that’s what they feel (the places of accommodation that charge the tax). It is not something that they continue to conduct here with us. They’re just trying to do their normal business. They don’t have time to think about a lot of things, so we’re just trying to defend them, ”he said.

Fix said the Chamber of Commerce wanted to make sure people know it’s the consumers who book the sites that pay the tax, not the owners of the hosting companies.

If county lawmakers approve the law, it would go into effect on January 1.

The bill stipulates that the tourist tax will not be imposed on:

• permanent residents for a period of occupation of more than 30 days;

• people placed in a hotel or motel by the Ministry of Social Services, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army or other similar organizations because of emergency housing needs, housing for the indigent or without -shelter ;

• any federal, New York State, local or other municipal tax;

• exempt organizations: Unless otherwise provided by law, the following entities will not be liable to pay tourist tax: New York State or any public corporation, improvement district or political subdivision of the state; United States ; any company or association, or trust, or community fund, fund or foundation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.