Bridgeport advances emergency-services transient-occupancy fee on first reading; staged increases proposed

Bridgeport — The Bridgeport City Council took the first reading June 8 of amendments to an ordinance that would establish and collect an emergency-services fee from transient occupants of lodging within the city to help cover emergency response costs.

John, a city staff member explaining the change, said the amendment keeps the fee at $3 for the coming year, increases it by $1.50 the following year, and would bring it to $6 in the subsequent year. He also explained that, under the initial ordinance, the police department had been slated to receive 33% of the fee this year; council and staff agreed to defer that allocation until next year.

The measure was presented as a first reading; council members moved and seconded the item and the first reading carried. Staff said the phased approach is intended to give hotel operators time to adjust and to allow the council to reconsider details during the coming year.

The transcript does not include ordinance numbers or a detailed revenue estimate tied to projected occupancy; staff indicated the fee schedule and timing but did not provide an itemized revenue projection in the public discussion. The item will return to the council for additional consideration and a subsequent reading before any final adoption.