Preparations to sell the public on the renewal of the county’s lodging tax in 2024 are already well underway.

At last week’s Park County Commission meeting, Cody Country Chamber of Commerce CEO EJ House said work would ramp up even more in January, with commissioners voting on a resolution in the spring to put the measure on the ballot.

“We have a lot of good messaging to put out this year,” House said.

The question would then go on the General Election ballot next fall. It will look a little different from year’s past, as new state legislation has altered the numbers. Voters will be asked whether they want to approve a 2% lodging tax in Park County, on top of a 5% tax levied by the state. If approved, the county would continue to receive 4% with the state holding onto 3% for Wyoming-wide use.

“That money goes towards tourism and the county funds a lot of activities, like the visitor centers, for example, and a lot of advertising to get more people to come to our county,” House said.

The ballot question is asked every four years. While a proposed 1% sales tax for general government purposes failed in 2020, nearly 72% of voters reapproved the lodging tax. That support was, however, down from 81% in 2016.