Scottsdale Voters Approve Bed Tax

SCOTTSDALE - Voters in Scottsdale voted by a slim margin Tuesday to increase a bed tax on visitors' hotel room bills by a slim margin.

Prop 200 raised the hotel room bed tax from 3 percent to 5 percent, or $2 more on a $99 room.

Unofficial election results show it passing by a 56 to 44 percent margin.

Starting July 1, half of Scottsdale's bed tax will go to destination marketing, while the City Council will invest the other half in tourism-related capital projects, special events and tourism research.

The bed tax is expected to collected an estimated $5 million in fiscal year 2010-2011. This is the first time in 21 years the bed tax in Scottsdale has seen an increase.

The special election marks a record for early ballot turn-ins -- 38 percent of voters submitted their vote ahead of time.

• What else was voted on? Click here to see Maricopa County Election Results