What is MP John Lemondes’ record on hotel taxes?

To institute the hotel tax, the city needed the state legislature to pass a bill that would be sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul. The request for legislation was submitted to Lemondes, R-LaFayette, and state Sen. Rachel May. May, D-Syracuse, introduced the bill in January.

As Lemondes runs for re-election in the 126th Assembly District, he has been criticized for his vote on hotel taxes. Auburn City Clerk Chuck Mason wrote a letter to the editor claiming that Lemondes voted for occupancy tax bills 37 times, including five times in favor of Central New York municipalities .

The Citizen reviewed Lemondes’ legislative record on hotel and tourist tax bills. This fact check covers four years of votes, starting in 2021 – his first year in office.

Since Lemondes took office, the state legislature has passed 51 bills to implement or expand local hotel taxes. The legislation covers municipalities across the state, from the village of Weedsport in Cayuga County to the city of White Plains in Westchester County.

According to roll call results in the State Assembly, Lemondes has voted 13 times in favor of bills to institute or expand local hotel taxes. He voted against 37 of those bills and was not present for the Wayne County hotel tax vote.

There are inconsistencies in Lemondes’ position on hotel taxes. In 2021, he voted for legislation extending a hotel tax in White Plains. This year, he voted against an identical bill to extend the tax in White Plains for three years.

Records show that Lemondes sponsored eight bills that were signed into law, three of which gave municipalities in Central New York the authority to impose hotel taxes. He introduced these bills for the Village of Weedsport and the City and Village of Skaneateles in 2023.

Contrary to Mason’s assertions, Lemondes was mostly opposed to the hotel tax bills. He voted against legislation that would allow occupancy taxes in the city of DeWitt, Onondaga County and the city of Syracuse.

Mason told the Citizen he misread the Assembly website, which shows how members voted to the left of their name rather than the right.

Although Lemondes has voted against most hotel tax proposals and expansions, he previously supported requests from municipalities in the 126th Assembly District — until the city of Auburn requested its own hotel tax.

City officials floated the idea a year ago after Hochul signed the Skaneateles and Weedsport bills. In December, the City Council agreed to send letters to Lemondes and May requesting authorizing legislation.

May quickly responded by introducing the bill to the state Senate. But Lemondes remained silent until March, when he held a public meeting with the city to gather feedback on the proposed tax. Four people spoke at the meeting, including three opposed to the tax. One of the speakers was Throop Supervisor Eric Ridley, who serves on the board of directors of the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association.

Two more months passed before Lemondes made his decision. In May, he announced his opposition to Auburn’s proposed hotel tax.

“After meeting with many voters and residents of Auburn, I do not believe the state should allow this tax,” Lemondes said. “The last thing we want to do is increase costs for visitors, which would result in reduced revenue for vital industries such as tourism.”

Auburn Mayor Jimmy Giannettino told the Citizen he learned of Lemondes’ decision from the newspaper. He was disappointed because city officials thought they would have Lemondes’ support based on the precedent he had set when he sponsored the bills for Skaneateles and Weedsport.

During a debate Tuesday, Lemondes was asked about his voting record on hotel taxes and why he supported allowing Skaneateles and Weedsport to institute a tax, but not Auburn.

Regarding Weedsport, Lemondes said it was a product of redistricting. Before the village was added to its district in 2023, local leaders began pushing for a resort tax. When he became a village representative, he says he “followed through” on this request.

Lemondes admitted he was surprised by what he encountered in Skaneateles. There was bipartisan support for a hotel tax. He introduced the bill that was approved by state lawmakers and signed by Hochul.

For Auburn and Skaneateles, Lemondes said, he required five communication methods — email, mail, office visits, phone calls and public meetings — for voters to share their opinions on the proposed tax. While he said support for the tax was “significantly higher” in Skaneateles, he added it was the opposite in Auburn.

“That’s how those votes turned out the way they did,” Lemondes said.