Four public meetings on the proposed Eddy County Lodgers Tax Ordinance held in Carlsbad and Artesia in June failed to generate public comment, said Steve McCroskey, associate director of Eddy County Community Services.
A final public hearing was slated for Aug. 3 before the Eddy County Board of County Commissioners, McCroskey said as Eddy County Commissioners asked the Eddy County Planning Department to explore the tax and how the revenues collected via that increase could enhance county services.
Eddy County Public and Government Affairs Director Jerry Fanning said despite being heavily advertised, no comments on the proposed 2 percent tax for temporary lodging in unincorporated areas of Eddy County were received.
Sod it, get the booze in
Credit: Radu Bercan / Alamy Stock Photo
Right now, one man sums up the national mood. Steve McCroskey. If the name doesn’t ring a bell: he’s the guy in the control tower in Airplane!, that glorious spoof of Hollywood disaster movies. The pilots of an airliner have been taken ill in mid-flight, and now a passenger has to take the controls. “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking,” McCroskey mutters – and lights a cigarette.
But the crisis continues to deepen. “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking,” he mutters – and takes a swig from a hipflask. Then: “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines… Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue…”