The Livingston-Overton County Chamber of Commerce proposing a new partnership to boost local tourism and economic growth by utilizing hotel occupancy tax revenue.
Livingston-Overton County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Zach Stevens presented a plan to unite Livingston, Overton County, and the Main Street program under a single strategy. This initiative seeks to organize local entities that have not previously had a central group dedicated to coordinating these efforts.
“Through this, we would be able to pull our resources and funds together to present a really clear image of what Overton County has to offer to visitors who might be interested in coming to our area,” Stevens said. “This proposal is, you know, something that’s probably long overdue.”
Stevens said visitors spent approximately $8.3 million in Overton County in 2024. This activity generated nearly $1 million in state and local tax revenue. Stevens said this economic activity saved each household in the county $102.
“So, by working together, we’re hoping to not only reduce people’s tax burden, residents’ tax burden, we’re also hoping to grow the tax revenue so that there’s additional funds, you know, to operate both the municipality and the county,” Stevens said. “And by coming together through this effort, we not only believe that we can maintain those numbers, we believe there’s a lot of opportunity to grow them.”
The proposed strategy relies entirely on hotel-motel occupancy taxes rather than asking for general fund contributions from the local governments. State law requires these specific tax revenues be spent on tourist development rather than schools or roads.
“And let me say, this is what other communities are doing,” Stevens said. “They’re using their hotel-motel occupancy taxes to fund initiatives like this.”
The Chamber recently received a grant from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to assist with branding efforts. Stevens said the area has not previously had a specific group dedicated to bringing all parties together for tourism.
“We’re doing this to help our local businesses and our residents save tax dollars,” Stevens said. “So, I think it’s a win-win for all the parties involved.”
A Tourism Advisory Board will be created to determine specific long-term goals for the partnership.