(A) (1) A tax is hereby levied on every person engaged in the business or renting or furnishing, for periods or less than 30 days, any room or rooms, lodgings or accommodations in any hotel, motel, boat motel, inn, college or university memorial union, college or university residence hall or dormitory, or tourist cabin located in the county.
(2) The tax does not apply to gross income received in a transaction in which a student rents lodgings in a college or university residence hall while that student participates in a course or study for which the student receives college credit from a college or university located in the county or a person rents a room, lodging or accommodations for a period of 30 days or more.
(3) The tax shall be levied at the rate of 5% on the gross retail income derived from the lodging income only and is in addition to the state gross retail tax imposed under I.C. 6-2.5.
(4) The tax shall be reported on forms approved by the County Treasurer and shall be paid monthly to the County Treasurer not more than 20 days after the end of the month the tax is collected.
(B) (1) The County Treasurer shall establish a Convention, Recreation and Visitor Promotion Fund and shall deposit in this Fund all amounts received pursuant to this section.
(2) At such time as the County Commissioners shall establish a commission for promotion of convention, recreation and visitor industry pursuant to I.C. 6-9-18-5, the County Auditor shall issue warrants directing the County Treasurer to transfer money from the Convention, Recreation and Visitor Promotion Fund to the Commission’s Treasurer as the Commission submits written requests for the transfer.
(3) Money in the Convention, Recreation and Visitor Promotion Fund, or money transferred from such a Fund under division (B)(2) above, may be expended only to promote and encourage conventions, trade shows, special events, recreation, and visitors, or industrial development, within the county.
(C) This section shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the County Council, and publication as by law provided, but the tax provided for herein shall not be imposed and collected until March 1, 1990.
(Ord. 1989-98, passed 9-6-1989)