Mendocino County voters reject Measure G campground lodging tax

Mendocino County voters rejected the extension of a lodging tax to cover private campgrounds and RV parks, proposed to help buoy the county’s budget for general services by $1 million a year.

Measure G failed by a margin of 53 to 47 percent, including ballots from all 250 precincts. Mail-in ballots were still being counted Wednesday but the result was not expected to change.

“It’s not surprising to me,” said Dan Hamburg, chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

“People who go camping or go RV camping probably like not paying the fees. I think there’s a good argument for having a (lodging tax) that applies equally to campgrounds. A lot of the services that people use when they use campgrounds are similar to what they use at other types of lodging in the county.”

The county already charges a 10 percent fee on stays of 30 days or fewer at all hotels, inns and guesthouses, but unlike neighboring counties, not at private tent sites or overnight parking areas for recreational vehicles.

Proponents of the ballot measure argued it would close a loophole that favored private campgrounds and RV parks.

With a 5-0 vote in February, the Board of Supervisors advanced the measure to the ballot. It was sponsored by county Treasurer-Tax Collector Shari Schapmire.

The county’s lodging fee, which accounted for $5.1 million in the 2016-17 fiscal year, was the third-largest revenue source toward the general fund behind property and sales taxes, according to Auditor-Controller Lloyd Weer.

Had Measure G passed, it was expected to boost funding for law enforcement and administrative departments.