Governor signs bill allowing Medina to collect ‘bed tax’

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Hart Hotel is one of the lodging businesses in Medina. Hart Hotel includes five rooms and two lofts on the third floor of 113 West Center St. This photo was taken on Monday evening with the village holiday decorations in the background.

MEDINA – Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation allowing the Village of Medina to collect a 2 percent “bed tax” on hotels, motels, boarding houses and short-term rentals in the village.

Hochul signed the bill on Nov. 22, culminated a process that started in 2018 with village officials looking to generate some additional money to work on infrastructure projects at the Medina Business Park and in the village to promote economic development.

The Bent’s Opera House has 10 hotel rooms available on the second floor.

The village tried for several years since 2018 to get the tax through the Legislature. State Sen. Rob Ortt had been reluctant to support a new tax, but on May 22 he sponsored the bill that passed in the Senate. Assemblyman Steve Hawley backed the legislation in the Assembly.

The legislation passed both houses of the Legislature and on Nov. 15 it was delivered to the governor’s desk. She signed it on Friday.

Village officials are awaiting more details on when it can start imposing the tax. The legislation says it takes effect “immediately” and goes until Dec. 31, 2025. The village will need the State Legislature’s and governor’s approval to renew the tax every two years.

Medina village officials will reach out to the County Treasurer and County Tourism Department for a list of Medina sites that are currently collecting a 4 percent occupancy tax for the county.

The county’s 4 percent occupancy tax generates about $100,000 a year and is used solely by the county for its tourism promotion efforts. The Medina tax would be another 2 percent on top of the county’s occupancy tax, but for hotels, motels and other lodging establishments in the village only.