Warren County has been financially supporting tourism projects through Occupancy Tax Grant Funding for more than two decades. During this time the number of applications has increased significantly, resulting in the need for additional oversight in the awarding, monitoring, reporting, and tracking of success of the projects.
To improve the application process, Warren County has implemented a new Digital Online Application platform, a much more streamlined, user-friendly process where applicants can register their organization and apply for, report on, and track the status of their Occupancy Tax application and award.
Warren County currently collects a four percent Occupancy Tax on all overnight tourism accommodations in the county. This tax is added to the rate charged on an overnight stay at lodging facilities, including short-term vacation rentals. The purpose of this tax is to promote and increase tourism in Warren County through the promotion of tourist activities, conventions, trade shows, special events and other directly related and supporting activities.
In an effort to prepare applicants for the new application process, Warren County is hosting an online training session at 1 p.m. on Monday, August 26, 2024. No registration is necessary, but those interested should be ready to join the session promptly at 1 p.m.
Here is the training Session Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89341042665 Meeting ID: 893 4104 2665
For those who cannot attend during this time, a recording of the session has been made available online here. More Occupancy Tax information, including the application form when the application period opens, can be found here.
It is important to note that changes have been made to the Occupancy Tax Grant Funding program that include:
- For all upcoming events, there will be one application period, beginning on September 3, 2024 and ending on October 11, 2024, and all completed applications must be received by the deadline for consideration.
- All projects that meet the requirements will be reviewed at the October 22, 2024, Warren County Board of Supervisors Tourism and Occupancy Tax Coordination Committee meeting, where applicants are required to present a five-minute project overview.
- At the November 19, 2024, Board of Supervisors Tourism and Occupancy Tax Committee Meeting, supervisors will further consider the award values based on the scoring criteria and any additional discussion that takes place during the meeting. All awards will be voted on at the December Board of Supervisors meeting and applicants will be notified of their award before the end of calendar year 2024.
For additional information, contact Warren County Tourism Coordinator Paul Tackett at tackettp@warrencountyny.gov.
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