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By SHARON KILPATRICK
Rappahannock New« Staff Writer
Members of the Washington Town Council voted unanimously not to increase the meals and lodging tax following a public hearing last Wednesday.
First, however, council members engaged in an exchange with Patrick O’Connell, co-owner of The Inn at Little Washington, about the relationship betw-een townspeople with The Inn and between council and The Inn.
Frank Scott, who has recently purchased Heritage House Bed and Breakfast on Main Street, questioned the need for the tax, saying it is unfair to have five businesses providing most of the revenue for the town. He questioned the need for a $150,000 town hall and the need to spend $2,000 for a conference table for the building. He said it w as easy for customers to go to other inns in the county which don't have to collect the tax.
“The town budget has escalated unbelievably,” he said. “A few years ago it was $13,000, now it is $104,000.”
Mr. O’Connell had prepared a comparison between Washington, Alexandria, Charlottesville, Culpeper and Warrenton, on the percentage of the budgets funded by meals and lodging taxes and the amount of the taxes.
Alexandria and Charlottesville are cities and operate school systems. In Culpeper the meals and lodging taxes account for 10.5 percent of the budget. In Warrenton such taxes account for 10 percent of the budget. In Washington meals and lodging taxes raise about 76 per
79.3%