Oregon’s highest court will hear the hotel’s foes’ challenge.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Oregon’s highest court will hear the legal challenge of Metro’s proposed Convention Center hotel.
The challenge is led by a group of downtown hoteliers.
Opponents of the $212 million project sought to refer to voters Multnomah County’s decision to reallocate lodging taxes toward $60 million in revenue bonds that would help pay for the hotel. But the courts have so far agreed with the county that the decision was administrative and not legislative and therefore not eligible for the ballot.
The courts ruled opponents can’t challenge the county’s ability to decide how to use a tax it already collects.
The challengers, who include a coalition of hotel owners led by financier Gordon Sondland’s Provenance Hotels, have already collected the necessary signatures to qualify for the ballot.
(SOURCE: OregonLive.com)
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