The Aberdeen City Council identified state Sen. Nancy Jacobs as the one person standing in the city?s way of levying a hotel tax.
“Are we singling her out? Yes, because she is the only one preventing the legislation from being introduced,” said Aberdeen City Council President Mike Hiob.
In a Dec. 18 letter, the council asked Jacobs, R-District 34, to support the necessary state legislation Aberdeen would need to impose a hotel tax.
Jacobs called the tax “bad for business,” but Aberdeen leaders say Jacobs is ignoring the interests of her constituents.
In order for the city to impose a hotel tax, “enabling legislation” has to be passed at the state level, Hiob said.
Hiob said the city is interested in the tax ? from 2 percent to 5 percent of every dollar paid to a hotel ? to help roll back the city?s property tax and offset costs of Ripken Stadium and increased police patrols around the city?s hotels.
With several donations to her campaigns from Hess Hotels in Edgewood dating back to 1999 and amounting to nearly $6,000, Hiob accused Jacobs of serving the needs of the hotel industry.
“I think she is preventing the legislation because she is returning a favor,” he said.
“The Hesses are Republicans and they support Republicans,” Jacobs said. “I wouldn?t do a favor for someone who gave me $6,000.”
“I don?t support new taxes,” she said, adding that Hiob attacked her character because he could not beat her on the issues.
The Aberdeen City Council is just “trying to justify raising taxes,” Jacobs said.
“I think it is a nonissue as far as our guests are concerned,” said Tim Engle, hotel manager for the Clarion Hotel in Aberdeen.
Engle said a hotel tax would not hurt Harford?s hotels, especially in Aberdeen, because most visitors are drawn there for specific reasons.
