The Monroe County Council will continue the discussion of a possible food and beverage tax during a scheduled work session Tuesday.
A 1 percent food and beverage tax may be implemented by the council to fund a convention center, conference center or other tourism-related activity, according to 2009 legislation.
The tax would affect only foods and beverages purchased in restaurants and bars, not in grocery stores.
The county council has discussed a possible food and beverage tax on-and-off since the legislation was passed, most recently during a February work session.
In February, many council members agreed that it was time to move forward with discussions, but there are issues, including how to address restaurant concerns and the timing of the tax, that would need to be settled before the tax could be voted on.
The food and beverage tax could raise about $2.5 million for the expansion and operation of the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center. An expansion is needed to continue to grow tourism in Monroe County, according to Talisha Coppock, executive director of Downtown Bloomington, Inc., and the convention center.
Right now, the convention center receives money from the innkeeper’s tax, which totals about $268,000 per year, Coppock said. The money is used to operate the convention center in its present state, and it would be impossible to use the money that is being collected to fund an expansion, she said.
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