The small city of Oakland, Oregon is a forward-thinking community.
The City Council has taken the first step to enact a bed tax – despite the city not having a single registered accommodation business.
Council members voted to impose a 8% transient occupancy tax ordinance.
There are no hotels or motels in its jurisdiction and there are no current plans to open any either.
"There are no accommodations in our town right now. We decided to jump on this before we have the need for it," mayor Bette Keehley said of the pro-active stance.
Keeley told the Roseburg News-Review there is a solitary one room vacation rental but that would be exempt until the council proposes specific regulations for Airbnb-type rentals.
If the ordinance passes a second reading on January 2, it will take effect 30 days later, even though it won’t generate a single dollar.
The city has a population of less than 1,000 but has a historic downtown filled with antique and curio shops.
It is also located close to several Umpqua Valley wineries but is too far off the freeway to attract any motel chains, Keehley said.
"If they did get off the freeway they would find a great little town," she said.
