There’s been a lot of conversation lately about the proposed Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) increase in Tillamook County. And as important as the immediate numbers are, it’s even more important to understand the larger system at stake–and how easily we risk losing something vital if we’re not careful.
The TLT was never just about raising money.
It was about building something much deeper: a way for visitor dollars to support local stewardship, strengthen community voice, and invest in the future of rural places like ours. Since 2003, most new TLT revenue has followed a 70/30 split:
70% must be used for tourism-related infrastructure—things like trails, visitor centers, arts venues, public events, and local partnerships—and 30% can go into general funds.
Older TLTs were grandfathered in with different splits; for example, in Manzanita, 90% of lodging taxes already support general services, and only 10% are directed toward tourism.
But what’s really at stake isn’t just where the money goes. It’s how it moves.
When TLT dollars are used for stewardship, they don’t just build physical projects—they create living ecosystems.
Grants, partnerships, nonprofit collaborations, locally-driven initiatives: these are the kinds of investments that invite residents to participate, to lead, and to help shape the future of their communities.
It’s not just public infrastructure. It’s shared ownership.
Through community-driven projects supported by TLT, we get more than new trails or new signage.
We get spaces for creativity, resilience, and gathering.
We get a deeper sense of connection to the places we call home.
When TLT money gets permanently redirected into basic government operations, that opportunity for community innovation shrinks.
Visitor dollars stop being a source of shared possibility—and start becoming just another invisible budget line, absorbed into systems residents have little voice in shaping. The current ballot proposal earmarks the new 4% increase exclusively for public safety:
Sheriff’s services, Emergency Management, and communications infrastructure.
These services are essential, no question.
But they were never meant to be funded by visitor investments.
They deserve stable, long-term funding rooted in public responsibility—not siphoned from a system designed to empower community-centered growth.
So the real question isn’t whether visitors will pay.
It’s whether we, as residents, will protect a model that keeps community voice alive in how our places grow.
The strength of Tillamook County has never been just in its scenery.
It’s in its people—working together to shape a future they can feel proud of.
Let’s not lose that.
Sincerely,
Your weird Wheeler neighbor
