About the Author
Elizabeth Pagano is the editor of the Austin Monitor.
Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- Facing overwhelmingly negative feedback, city drafts refinements to residential permit parking program
- New Data Center Planned for Lockhart in 2028
- Changes on the way for Austin’s scooters
- Plans for parks over I-35 collide with Austin’s cash crunch
- Two Years after the Austin Police Oversight Act passed, Community Police Review Commission finally meets
-
Discover News By District
Short-term losses, long-term tax gains
Thursday, August 7, 2014 by Elizabeth Pagano
As part of the budget process, Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole asked for a breakdown of revenue collected and fees assessed for the city’s Short Term Rental registration program this past year. So far, the results have been less than lucrative for the city. As of May 31, 2014, the city projects that its total revenue from licensing the 929 Type I, Type II and Type III rentals will be $255,210 for Fiscal Year 2014. The estimated cost of administering the program is $301,462 for that same year. That’s a loss of $46,252. However, a question from Council Member Chris Riley showed that those rentals generated more than $1.4 million in hotel/motel/STR occupancy tax revenue in 2014, so maybe it’s not as bad as all that.
Join Your Friends and Neighbors
We're a nonprofit news organization, and we put our service to you above all else. That will never change. But public-service journalism requires community support from readers like you. Will you join your friends and neighbors to support our work and mission?