The Geary County Commission approved a one percent increase to the transient guest tax, with the proceeds of the increase going exclusively towards a proposed sports complex project in Geary County.

Both the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce and Geary County Convention and Visitors Bureau asked for the increase exclusively for the sports complex project.

Larry Hicks, Commission Chairman, was opposed to raising the tax exclusively for that project.

“My thoughts have been as they always have with regard to the increase of the transient guest tax,” Hicks said. ” I thought three years ago that those dollars should have been allocated for the opera house.”

Currently the county has $75,000 budgeted to the C.L. Hoover Opera House. Hicks said that appropriate funding for the opera house would be around $100,000 and $150,000.

The one percent increase based on last years numbers is estimated to bring in around $120,000 a year.

Tom Weigand, Chamber CEO, said that the support they have for the increase is for it only to be used for the sports complex project.

“The hotel industry, the chamber board and the CVB advisory boards feel like all of those funds should be used in that effort rather than any of it being taken into support of the opera house,” Weigand said.

Weigand did say that they are supportive of both the county and city funding the opera house and do recognize the importance of it but still feel the funds from the increase should be used exclusively for the sports complex project.

The money from the increase will be placed into escrow with the county. If the sports complex does not become a reality and is dropped then the tax would revert back to five percent.

If there is money accumulated at the time that the taxes do happen to roll back the Chamber and CVB ask that the money be used for any future destination project purposes.

A resolution will still need to be presented to the Commission and approved before the tax increase goes into effect.