As executive director of the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, I am closely following proposals in Salem that would change how Oregon’s transient lodging tax on overnight stays is structured and used.

For Cottage Grove, tourism is part of our economic foundation. Visitors come to experience our historic covered bridges, explore the Row River Trail and enjoy events like Bohemia Mining Days. Those overnight stays support downtown retailers, restaurants and local lodging properties that provide year-round jobs.

Just recently, Lane County commissioners approved $500,000 in lodging tax funding to help improve and preserve our historic covered bridges. That investment protects irreplaceable community assets while strengthening a key driver of heritage tourism in our region.

Across Lane County, more than 3.5 million overnight stays generated over $1.1 billion in visitor spending last year, supporting one in nine local jobs. The lodging tax model works because it reinvests visitor-generated revenue back into the experiences and infrastructure that attract those visitors in the first place.

Proposals that increase lodging taxes or redirect funds away from tourism development risk weakening a system that rural communities like Cottage Grove rely on for long-term economic vitality.

Protecting the existing lodging tax structure is about sustaining jobs, preserving local landmarks and keeping our small-town economy competitive.

Georgia Haskell
Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce

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