Burlingame voters seem more than ready to bump up what visitors pay to stay the night, with a fresh survey showing broad support for raising the city’s transient-occupancy, or hotel, tax from 12% to 15%. Officials say the extra 3 percentage points could funnel millions of additional dollars into the city’s general fund. In the initial ballot test, 45.2% of respondents said they would "probably" vote yes and 28.4% said they would "definitely" vote yes, for a combined 73.6% backing, and support climbed even higher after respondents heard arguments in favor. City staff say the findings will shape outreach and help determine whether a measure lands on the November ballot.
According to the San Mateo Daily Journal, the survey targeted 14,936 likely voters and found overall support jumped to 82.4% after pro arguments were presented, then dipped to roughly 75% once voters heard both the pros and the cons. Joy Kummer of consulting firm TeamCivX told the paper that the numbers look solid, but she still advised more community education before city leaders commit to the ballot.
Current tax and the fiscal picture
Burlingame’s transient-occupancy tax is currently set at 12%, according to the City of Burlingame. City Council minutes show that hotel tax collections plunged during the pandemic, sliding to roughly $5.7 million in 2020-21 after bringing in close to $29 million before COVID, and have been climbing back since. That roller coaster is central to officials’ thinking as they weigh the appeal of new revenue against the hotel tax’s sometimes wild swings.
What a 3-point bump would buy and next steps
City Manager Lisa Goldman told staff that if the rate had already been at 15%, Burlingame would have collected about $5.7 million more, and city documents and reporting outline a wish list for that money, including undergrounding power lines along El Camino Real, purchasing a new City Hall and refurbishing the corporation yard. The council plans non-advocacy outreach and community feedback through June, with specific measure language expected to be developed in June and July and council action anticipated in that same window. If an ordinance moves forward, a full campaign would likely run from August through November, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal. "We want to make sure we have sufficient time to do all of the outreach we need to do," Goldman told the outlet.
How Burlingame stacks up on the Peninsula
Several nearby Peninsula cities have already raised their hotel taxes. Half Moon Bay phased in a 15% rate in 2022, and local reporting notes that Palo Alto’s combined lodging taxes now exceed Burlingame’s current level, so a 15% cap would not be out of step with the neighborhood. Those comparisons appear in city materials and local coverage, including Half Moon Bay’s voter documents and reporting in The Almanac.
For Burlingame voters, the next few months are all about priorities and messaging. Do residents want visitors to shoulder more of the cost of local infrastructure and day-to-day operations, or should the city lean more on cuts and other revenue streams instead. City leaders say they plan to mine the survey results for clues on how to frame that debate and when, or if, to officially put the hotel tax hike in front of voters this fall.
