Kern supervisors ask staff to poll voters and meet industry on possible bed‑tax increase

BAKERSFIELD — County staff told the Kern County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 10 that the county’s transient occupancy tax (TOT) rate of 6% has not changed since 2002 and is below averages for other California counties and cities. Jason Wiebe of the County Administrative Office said the county has 87 hotel/motel TOT certificates and 639 short‑term rental certificates in unincorporated areas and estimated that raising the rate to 12% could generate roughly $4,000,000 annually.

Wiebe described TOT as discretionary revenue that supports countywide priorities such as public safety, libraries and animal services. He recommended that, if the board wants to consider a ballot measure for November, staff should first conduct polling to gauge voter sentiment, engage lodging and tourism stakeholders, and return a full report in May with polling results and potential ordinance timelines.

Supervisors asked about where current TOT dollars are being spent and whether an increase would affect tourism. Wiebe said TOT currently funds county discretionary priorities and said a macro‑level change in the rate typically does not have a material effect on overall travel; microlevel impacts can vary by business and location.

Supervisor Parlier moved — and the board seconded — a motion to align with staff recommendation: engage polling services, conduct stakeholder outreach with lodging and chambers of commerce, and return a report in May. The motion passed unanimously.

What’s next: staff will engage polling vendors and stakeholders and prepare a May report to inform whether the board should pursue introducing an ordinance for the November ballot.