Hotel/ motel tax audit nears its end

♦ County Commissioners also plan to unveil new ordinances Tuesday to address derelict mobile homes and substandard roads.

Floyd County Commissioners are expected to approve on Tuesday an $8,000 addition to their contract with Avenu Insights & Analytics.

The company was hired in April to conduct a hotel/ motel tax audit — looking at property records, online activity and other data sources to be sure everything that’s owed to the county is being paid.

In addition to commercial hotels and motels, the tax must be collected and paid by anyone who leases their property for stays of less than 30 days. The contract also calls for auditors to meet with people who haven’t been collecting the tax and educating them on the requirements.

The hotel/motel tax in the unincorporated area is 6 percent, with 4 percent going to the state. Floyd County collected about $100,000 in 2017 and commissioners expect the audit to boost that amount going forward.

The board caucuses at 4 p.m. and starts its regular meeting at 6 p.m. in the County Administration Building, 12 E. Fourth Ave. Both sessions are public.

Commissioners are scheduled to hold first readings during their regular meeting on two ordinances that will likely be adopted at their Feb. 24 meeting.

One would address abandoned mobile homes, allowing inspectors to access the property to determine if the structures are safe.

The other would provide a way for residents in subdivisions with substandard roads to get assistance with repairs. The county only maintains public roads that meet a set standard. Under the proposed ordinance, residents on private roads could petition for improvements, with the cost prorated on their tax bills.

Also, Silver Creek resident Wilma Bridges has asked to address the board during the regular meeting about the ongoing problem of stopped Norfolk-Southern Railroad trains blocking the deadend Hall Road.

The issue has been a bone of contention for at least five years, but commissioners have said they’re aware the number of trains is increasing.

County Manager Jamie McCord said in early January that the county received permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a limited-access back exit, for emergency use, through the wetlands in the area. He also planned to meet again with NorfolkSouthern officials, to seek help with construction or a promise to address the blockages.