Legislation that would allow Jackson residents to decide whether to hike hotel taxes died in the Mississippi Senate late Monday amid fears from lawmakers that it would set a bad precedent.
House Bill 1710 cleared the House earlier but only after members made sure it wouldn’t hurt their pocketbooks.
The bill would have required at least 60 percent support from Jackson voters to add $1.25 fee per hotel room. Revenues generated would have been used to raise Jackson police officers’ salaries. Recruits for the department average just more than $22,000 a year and then an average $26,500 as a full officer.
Jackson City Council President Leslie Burl McLemore said legislators should have given the bill a chance, especially since 40 percent of the capital city’s property is exempt from state taxes.
Magnolia Tribune
