The Tulsa City Council has approved a huge tax increase that will mostly be spent on projects chosen by the chamber of commerce.

The hotel tax increase could be delayed or stopped as some hotel owners are threatening legal action because they think the plan was made without consulting them.

The Tourism Improvement District, created by VisiTulsa (an arm of the Tulsa Metro Chamber), supposedly will promote tourism. For years, the chamber has received the bulk of the city’s hotel/motel tax to promote tourism.

In order to implement a special tax district, under state law, at least 51 percent of hotels owner who will pay the tax must agree. If they don’t, they can vote to dissolve the tax. An attorney representing more than 20 hotels notified city officials that his clients disagreed with the new tax plan.

As it stands, the tax district would last for 30 years. Any hotel with 110 or more rooms would have to pay an extra 3 percent on nightly room stays. Thirty-three hotels fall in that category.

The chamber expects to get $2,300,000.00 extra a year from the new hotel tax and promises to use the money to bring in more visitors. But some hotel owners point out that the city can use those funds for other purposes.