HB 161 Testimony — Jeff Blom, President, Clermont County CVB (April 29, 2025)

Summary

Testimony on HB 161 by Jeff Blom, President of the Clermont County Convention and Visitors Bureau, dated April 29, 2025, offered to the House Development Committee as a proponent. The testimony states that Clermont County short-term rentals (STRs) went from 99 listings three years ago to over 170 STR listings, an increase of over 70 percent, and that 2024 estimated revenue for short term rental bookings was $3.1 million. It lists what a sales tax of 6.75% ($222,750) and a lodging tax of 7.00% ($231,000) would have generated in 2024 if both were collected and remitted. It states that a short-term rental lodging tax is not a new tax.

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Full text

                                       HB 161 TESTIMONY

                    JEFF BLOM, PRESIDENT, CLERMONT COUNTY CVB

                                         APRIL 29, 2025

Chair Hoops, Vice Chair Lorenz and, Ranking Member Abdullahi and members of the House Develo-
pment Committee thank you for the opportunity to testify as a proponent of HB 161.

My name is Jeff Blom and I have been President of the Clermont County Convention and Visitors
Bureau for over seven years. I am testifying regarding our organization’s support for House Bill 161.
I am also the Past President of the Ohio Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus.

Our industry ask is simple. Short-term rentals engage in the same activity as hotels, so they should
pay the same taxes. HB 161 does not create different rates for hotels or STRs, and how the funds are
disbursed does not change. Visitors pay the lodging tax, not residents.

In Clermont County, short term rentals (STRs) have increased in number and revenue over the past
three years. Three years ago, there were 99 listings through Key Data, our short-term rental online
platform. Today, there are over 170 STR listings through Key Data, an increase of over 70 percent.
In 2024, estimated revenue for short term rental bookings was $3.1 million, which was an increase
of 15% over $2.7 million in 2023.

If both sales tax and lodging tax were collected and remitted, here is what that would have
generated in 2024:
        Sales Tax (6.75% in Clermont County): $222,750
        Lodging Tax: (7.00% in Clermont County): $231,000
        3% of Lodging Tax goes back to municipality where hotels/short term rentals are located.
        This amount would have been approximately $99,000.

A short-term rental lodging tax is NOT a new tax. Lodging taxes were established in 1967 and the
sales tax was established in 1935—this is a new activity and it should be treated the same way as
traditional lodging options.

Michael Daly, a short-term rental owner with units in Williamsburg and Hamersville, also own the
Flash Baseball Complex. He is in support of a STR lodging tax, knowing that the lodging taxes
collected and remitted, support bringing in sports tournaments and events, as well as leisure
travelers. He has stated that STR owners will only benefit from increased marketing and exposure,
generating more revenue. The lodging tax also helps cover police, fire, EMS calls and infrastructure
improvements.

We kindly ask that the Ohio House of Representatives vote to approve HB 161. Thank you for your
time and consideration.


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