Iowa Code § 423A.7 — IA Code / Title X / Chapter 423A / Section 423A.7
Local transient guest tax fund.
Status: in_force

(1) A local transient guest tax fund is created in the department which shall consist of all moneys credited to such fund under section 423A.6.

(2) All moneys in the local transient guest tax fund shall be remitted at least quarterly by the department, pursuant to rules of the director of revenue, to each city in the amount collected from businesses in that city, to each county in the amount collected from businesses in the unincorporated areas of the county, and to each land use district in the amount collected from businesses in that land use district.

(3) Moneys received by the city from this fund shall be credited to the general fund of the city, subject to the provisions of subsection 4.

(4) The revenue derived by a city or county from any local hotel and motel tax authorized by section 423A.4 shall be used by a city or county as follows:

(4) (a) Each county or city which levies the tax shall spend at least fifty percent of the revenues derived therefrom for the acquisition of sites for, or constructing, improving, enlarging, equipping, repairing, operating, or maintaining of recreation, convention, cultural, or entertainment facilities including but not limited to memorial buildings, halls and monuments, civic center convention buildings, auditoriums, coliseums, and parking areas or facilities located at those recreation, convention, cultural, or entertainment facilities or the payment of principal and interest, when due, on bonds or other evidence of indebtedness issued by the county or city for those recreation, convention, cultural, or entertainment facilities; or for the promotion and encouragement of tourist and convention business in the city or county and surrounding areas.

(4) (b) The remaining revenues may be spent by the city or county which levies the tax for any city or county operations authorized by law as a proper purpose for the expenditure within statutory limitations of city or county revenues derived from ad valorem taxes.

(4) (c) Any city or county which levies and collects the local hotel and motel tax authorized by section 423A.4 may pledge irrevocably an amount of the revenues derived therefrom for each of the years the bonds remain outstanding to the payment of bonds which the city or county may issue for one or more of the purposes set forth in paragraph “a”. Any revenue pledged to the payment of such bonds may be credited to the spending requirement of paragraph “a”.

(4) (d) The provisions of chapter 384, subchapter III, relating to the issuance of corporate purpose bonds, apply to the issuance by a city of bonds payable as provided in this section and the provisions of chapter 331, subchapter IV, part 3, relating to the issuance of county purpose bonds, apply to the issuance by a county of bonds payable as provided in this section. The provisions of chapter 76 apply to the bonds payable as provided in this section except that the mandatory levy to be assessed pursuant to section 76.2 shall be at a rate to generate an amount which together with the receipts from the pledged portion of the local hotel and motel tax is sufficient to pay the interest and principal on the bonds. All amounts collected as a result of the levy assessed pursuant to section 76.2 and paid out in the first instance for bond principal and interest shall be repaid to the city or county which levied the tax from the first available local hotel and motel tax collections received in excess of the requirement for the payment of the principal and interest of the bonds and when repaid shall be applied in reduction of property taxes.

(4) (d) The amount of bonds which may be issued under section 76.3 shall be the amount which could be retired from the actual collections of the local hotel and motel tax for the last four calendar quarters, as certified by the director of revenue. The amount of tax revenues pledged jointly by other cities or counties may be considered for the purpose of determining the amount of bonds which may be issued. If the local hotel and motel tax has been in effect for less than four calendar quarters, the tax collected within the shorter period may be adjusted to project the collections for the full year for the purpose of determining the amount of the bonds which may be issued.

(4) (e) A city or county, jointly with one or more other cities or counties as provided in chapter 28E, may pledge irrevocably any amount derived from the revenues of the local hotel and motel tax to the support or payment of bonds issued for a project within the purposes set forth in paragraph “a” and located within one or more of the participatory cities or counties or may apply the proceeds of its bonds to the support of any such project. Revenue so pledged or applied shall be credited to the spending requirement of paragraph “a”.

(4) (f) A city or county acting on behalf of an unincorporated area may, in lieu of calling an election, institute proceedings for the issuance of bonds under this section by causing a notice of the proposal to issue the bonds, including a statement of the amount and purpose of the bonds, together with the maximum rate of interest which the bonds are to bear, and the right to petition for an election, to be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation within the city or unincorporated area at least ten days prior to the meeting at which it is proposed to take action for the issuance of the bonds.

(4) (f) If at any time before the date fixed for taking action for the issuance of the bonds a petition signed by eligible electors residing in the city or the unincorporated area equal in number to at least three percent of the registered voters of the city or unincorporated area is filed, asking that the question of issuing the bonds be submitted to the registered voters of the city or unincorporated area, the council or board of supervisors acting on behalf of an unincorporated area shall either by resolution declare the proposal to issue the bonds to have been abandoned or shall direct the county commissioner of elections to call a special election upon the question of issuing the bonds.

(4) (f) The proposition of issuing bonds under this section is not approved unless the vote in favor of the proposition is equal to a majority of the vote cast.

(4) (f) If no petition is filed, or if a petition is filed and the proposition of issuing the bonds is approved at an election, the council or board of supervisors acting on behalf of an unincorporated area may proceed with the authorization and issuance of the bonds.

(4) (f) Bonds may be issued for the purpose of refunding outstanding and previously issued bonds under this section without otherwise complying with this paragraph.

(5) The revenue derived by a land use district from any local hotel and motel tax authorized by section 423A.4 shall be expended exclusively for the purposes set forth in section 303.52, subsection 4, paragraph “b”.

2005 Acts, ch 140, §25; 2011 Acts, ch 25, §143; 2017 Acts, ch 158, §4 – 6; 2018 Acts, ch 1041, §127