The city recently received the first check from the new lodging tax.

According to records from the city clerk’s office, the city received $5,404.46 for the month of October. Actually titled the Hotel Motel and Bed and Breakfast Tax, Deputy City Clerk Marsha Fairman said the tax seeks to provide funds for the future tourism and economic development of Brookhaven through the taxation of hotels, motels or any other such entity that houses six or more guests.

“We’re in the early stages right now, and we want to make sure we are following the laws set forth for us,” Garrick Combs, Executive Director of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, said about the city board appointed to oversee use of the funds.

The Brookhaven Tourism Council, using its formal title, has four core members who will always the mayor, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, director of Brookhaven Parks and Recreation and a city alderman. As of now, those positions have been filled with their corresponding persons – respectively, Joe Cox, Garrick Combs, Terry Reed and David Phillips – whose duty now is to appoint the four other council members.

Those members will consist of one representative from the Hotel/Motel industry, one area retail operations representative and three at-large members to be nominated by the five core members. These five remaining members are scheduled to be chosen today.

Combs said the bylaws drafted within the legislation that made the tax possible requires the council exist and be filled with the appropriate persons before decisions are made about the use of the money. Combs said the next step after appointing the remaining members would be to submit a budget to the city Board of Alderman and women for approval by the next fiscal year.

“We’re going to put a budget together around June and July when we get a feel about what kind of money we’ll have,” Mayor Cox said. “Then we will do what we are commissioned to do.

“It’s all about promoting ourselves,” Cox said.

Cox said that one of the things the city has not done enough of is promote Brookhaven, and the money provided by the tax will help do just that.

Lodging tax

• Purpose: Money from the tax is to be used by the city towards promoting tourism and economic development within Brookhaven.

• Brookhaven Tourism Council, consisting of nine members, handles the use of the money received.

• The tax is collected by the Department of Revenue and paid to the city of Brookhaven every month.