Director of the KDCA Chamber of Commerce Ellan Potter is encouraging members of the community to vote yes on the lodging tax for Kemmerer and Diamondville in the upcoming election.

She says it’s for tourism and referred to it as the “tax that you don’t pay”.

“The people that pay that are the ones that stay in our hotels,” Potter said.

She says that money goes to the Lodging Tax Board which allows them to put out advertising and information to bring tourists to the area and attend festivals. She also says this will help fund the Fossil Basin Promotion Board.

“We really have noticed an influx of tourism by the things that this board has been doing,” Potter said. “And without this tax we are not able to have the board any longer.”

She says if the lodging tax does not pass for the community the county will get the money.

“There’s lodging tax money, always,” Potter said. “But if we don’t have this percentage for Kemmerer and Diamondville…then we don’t have any guarantee that we will have any money to work with.”

She also says the Fossil Basin board gives out grants to non-profit organizations to advertise local festivals and other activities. These are things like the Oyster Ridge Music Festival and Fossil Fest. She says the board provides a great service for these activities.

“It would really hurt our community not to have it,” Potter said.

She also says that if you compare it to the state of Wyoming, it’s actually a fairly low tax when it comes to lodging.