Tax the tourists

Sandusky's tourist destinations could be the target for additional revenue as the city looks at possible state cuts in local funding, the Sandusky Register reported.

At Monday's commission meeting, Sandusky Senior Accountant/Auditor Hank Solowiej presented a variety of revenue options as the city plans for the next three to five years. One option was to expand the city's admission tax to include parking, if a condition to use the recreational facility requires parking for admission. Another option included expanding the admission tax to include boat dockage and excursions, campgrounds, and paddleboat rides.

"This is a tourist community and based on what residents have said in their surveys, they would prefer that the city tax the tourists," Solowiej said, according to the Register.

In most cases, Cedar Point requires parking for access into the amusement park, said Cedar Point spokesman Bryan Edwards, who was at Monday's meeting.

"This is definitely something we will discuss tomorrow and in the days to come," Edwards told the Register.

City commissioners did not discuss the revenue options Monday night, although Commissioner Dave Waddington did speak out against a new way to tax parking. Commissioners repealed a tax on paid parking earlier this year.

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