Oregon lodging lobby sues Bend over tourism budget use

BEND, Ore. – An Oregon lobbying group and two hotels are suing Bend claiming the city violated state law by using a portion of its budget earmarked for tourism marketing on street repair.

The Bulletin reports (http://bit.ly/2fyKsFn ) that the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association filed the lawsuit Tuesday as a result of the Bend City Council’s decision in May to spend about $350,000 of the $3.5 million budgeted for tourism on road maintenance.

Association President Jason Brandt says state law prohibits the city from decreasing the amount it spends on tourism as the state requires a certain percentage of room taxes to go to tourism marketing.

Assistant City Attorney Ian Leitheiser says the city’s actions comply with state law as the tourism marketing allocation is above the 30 per cent requirement.

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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com