Barton supports tourism tax increase

"During the oil boom, the tourism tax was generating about $464,000. That's what it generated in 2015," said Melinda Barton, chair of the Alva Tourism Committee. "This year we're going to be lucky if it gets to $150,000. So, we're bringing in a lot less money.

"And we've got so many great events and so many volunteers are working so hard on all these activities for our city that we have proposed, and it was voted on at the city council meeting about six weeks ago, that we're going to propose it is raised from five percent to eight percent on hotel rooms."

Barton was giving an impromptu speech...