Commissioners vote to double 'bed tax' to 6 percent; create public defender commission; pass 2026 budget

The Lorain County commissioners on Friday voted to double the county hotel lodging tax, commonly known as the "bed tax," on all eligible overnight stays at hotels, motels and rentals through online platforms in the spring. The board said it was taking action to boost what it gets from overnight guests to better market Lorain County to tourists and visitors and also to take some pressure off infrastructure and security items in the county budget. Commissioners also decided to create a commission to look into creating a county public defender's office for indigent criminal defendants, and passed a budget of more than $89.9 million for 2026. Friday's meeting was the last of the year for the commissioners, who will reconvene Jan. 12. Bed tax increased The additional money brought in by the bed tax, which will increase from 3 percent to 6 percent effective April 1, will help improve infrastructure and remove some Lorain County Sheriff's Office security spending from the county general fund budget, commissioners said. The tax increase was defeated by voters twice, once each in 2021 and 2022. The current bed tax brought in $901,655 in 2024 and has raised $977,974 as of Wednesday, according to numbers obtained from the county Auditor's Office. Ninety percent of the the tax is "paid by people who come to visit, not by Lorain County residents," Commissioner Jeff Riddell said at Friday's board meeting. Without going into specifics, he said the increased tax would pay for additional safety for Lorain County communities "as we attract big events." "We have been given the ability by the state to deliver services to the taxpayers that are not paid by the taxpayers of Lorain County," Riddell said. Commissioner David Moore said the dream behind the prior tax increase requests, to build a convention center on the site of Midway Mall is in Elyria, is now dead. The Ross Exposition Center at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington now serves that role, he said. Commissioners said state law changed in June to allow them to use bed tax receipts for other expenses, like providing security at the county fair, at the Rockin' on the River concert series in Lorain and other events. Moore said renters on short-term, online rental platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo also will have to pay the bed tax. "We're going to be extremely aggressive" with collecting it, he said. The majority of bed tax spending — about 66 percent according to Moore — has to be tied to marketing costs such as promotional materials created by the county Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Quality of life is what we're promoting," he said. "I'm not a big fan of taxes, but the fact is this its not Lorain County citizens paying it, it's people coming to Lorain County." Several people who attended Friday's meeting criticized the board for not putting the tax increase on the ballot. Brian Baker of Brownhelm Township said the board previously campaigned on not raising taxes without a mandate from the voters. "This here is implementing, not going to the people," said Baker, a Democrat who is running for commissioner in 2026 after losing to Moore in the 2024 election. Gerald Phillips of Avon Lake agreed. "The people should have the right to vote," he told the board. Public defender commission The board on Friday also voted to create a county public defender commission to explore forming an office of government-employed attorneys to represent indigent defendants who can't afford their own. Moore said the board would make three appointments to the five-member commission in the new year, as allowed by law, while Common Pleas Judge Chris Cook, presiding judge of that court, would appoint two in January. Ohio law says two of the five members of the commission must be attorneys. Moore said part of the commission's job would be to "prove to us that financially, it makes sense" to have a county public defender's office. He said he wanted the board to collect information and put that in a report to the commissioners. If it doesn't make sense, Moore said he wants to know that, too. The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the right of all people accused of a crime to have an attorney, even if they can't afford one. Some counties have public defender offices that represent indigent clients. In Lorain County, courts typically appoint private defense attorneys who are then paid by the county at a rate set by the state. Commissioner Marty Gallagher said the proposal "takes the political end out of it. It makes very good sense to me to go this route." 2026 county budget The board also voted Friday to approve a 2026 budget of $89,914,486. County officials requested $96,982,159 in spending for the coming year, but commissioners reduced that by $7 million through negotiations and budget hearings. Estimated 2026 revenue is $86,248,907, leaving a 4.25 percent or $3,665,579 difference in expected revenue versus budgeted spending. Commissioners said the county has taken in more money that expected every year since 2012, averaging 10 percent to 13 percent more in revenue than what was budgeted. Prior to the board approving the budget, Baker and William Zimmerman of Avon Lake said commissioners need to justify the salaries of the public officials under them. "We should know where our money's going," said Zimmerman, criticizing the salaries of what he said were "overpaid" county employees.Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.